


By the way, RPG, but like, with less brain cells

by sircantus



Series: Danplan/Aop AUs [1]
Category: DanPlan
Genre: Action/Adventure, Adventure to the max, Alternate Universe - Medieval, Ann is now in the story too, As if that helps, Author Is Sleep Deprived, Breaking the Law, Come get yalls Ann content, Comedy, Dragons, F IS FOR FRIENDS WHO DO STUFF TOGETHER, Fluff, Follow the gang as they explore across lands, Friendship, Gen, Hijinks & Shenanigans, I think this sorta counts as fluff, Its actually not that bad, Magic, Not the worst thing, So thats pretty cool i think, The fic where they keep being chased by the guards because they keep breaking laws, They dont MEAN to break the law, Think comedy and chaos, This is becoming a adventure fic, Time Travel, WE ARE GOING TO HAVE FUN, We exploring and having fun while doing it, Wholesome, Why Did I Write This?, and fuck shit up, crack but also not, eventually, i think, kinda domestic, no sad times here, we got HEAPS of PLOT, which honestly
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-12
Updated: 2020-11-11
Packaged: 2020-11-28 21:09:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 39
Words: 101,509
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20973101
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sircantus/pseuds/sircantus
Summary: The title suggest they had brain cells to begin with.The danplan squad, Stephen the necromancer, Daniel the Warrior, Hosuh the Healer, Ann the Thief, and Jay, a runaway king.Stephen, Dan, Hosuh get Jay out of his own kingdom after he doesn't want to be king anymore. The whole fiasco has plenty of fire, and lots of screaming.Now, Ann's joined up with them, and they explore the lands, adventuring and causing chaos in the best way possible! Breaking laws and running from guards. (They are banned from four different kingdoms! Two of them are Stephen's fault.)





	1. Some new arrivals

**Author's Note:**

> I like Danplan, and the thought of Jay joining their RPG thingy popped into mind one day, thus this came to life. Although, this is definitely going to grow into something big, I think. 
> 
> *ALSO this first chapter is kinda short but dont worry it gets better*

Daniel, Hosuh, and Stephen walk up to the entrance of a kingdom. Sounds like the start of a terrible pun, which tells enough about the situation. 

This time, the kingdom _doesn't _have wanted poster with their faces on them. Or a weird viking tribe trying to kill them. Or a magical rock that sets things on fire. (Daniel really doesn't understand where Stephen is _getting _these things, this is why Stephen is no longer allowed to have their money bag.)

Before walking in, Daniel notes the guards standing at the entrance, then decides to lead the group under the shade of a nice tree nearby (observe: drags Stephen) to lay down a plan. Half to make sure they don't wander around aimlessly this time, half to make sure nothing gets set on fire again. 

"Alright," Daniel started, crossing his arms, his armor clinking. "so I'm going to go over the plan  _ one  _ more time. Stephen, pay attention."

"I am paying attention!" Stephen yelled out, having not been paying attention. 

"That's what you said the last time we tried making a plan but what were you doing?!"

"In my defense, you were _boring._" Stephen pointed out, raising a finger to point accusingly at Daniel.

"Just because my lecture about not breaking the law is boring doesn't mean you can wander off and break the law!"

"_Technically_, that wasn't my fault that time." Stephen responded, leaning to Hosuh, side eyeing him.

"Well, I'm not the one who started fighting the guards." Hosuh spoke up, defensive. 

"I was  _ trying  _ to level up." Stephen said, trying to defend himself again.

"And look where that got us." Daniel cut in, tapping his foot.

Stephen groaned, throwing his arms up.

" And where did it get us?" Daniel asked again, expecting some sort of answer.

"Now we're wanted in another kingdom." Stephen grumbled out, copying Daniel's pose and crossing his arms. Hosuh smiled fondly, then looked to the new kingdom behind them.

"Daniel, which kingdom are we in?" Hosuh asked, observing the gates close by. The gaurds standing there were adorned with efficient armor and sharp weapons. Hosuh quietly wondered if they were bored. 

"Didn't you listen when I mentioned where we were going earlier? You know, the entire long journey over here? The whole week of walking and talking about the info about the kingdom?" Daniel questioned, exasperation creeping into his voice. 

"Hey, I was listening to you! I remember you said something about the king here owning peacocks! But, I...don't really know anything other than that...." Hosuh mumbled, picking at his shirt, then glaring at Stephen when he started snickering. 

"Do you even know anything about here, Stephen?" Daniel asked, raising an eyebrow at the purple haired necromancer. 

"They make bread here." Stephen responded with complete confidence.

"They make bread at every kingdom!" Hosuh yelled.

"Exactly! So I'm not wrong."

Daniel sighed, rubbing at the side of his head. "Okay. Okay. Fine. I'll go over it again." 

"The plan is a simple supply run. We'll be here for about a week, two tops if we run into trouble." Daniel ignored Stpehen remark. ("Run into trouble? Have you _met _us?") "I've heard that the sales are good here so food should be cheap. I also heard that they sell a nice amount of paints in the main marketplace, so Hosuh, you can buy one paint container."

"Can I get two? I need red and blue."

Daniel looked at Hosuh then sighed. "Two." He said, holding up two fingers.

"What about me? What am I supposed to do? I don't want to be bored in the inn like last time." Stephen asked, summoning his wand and twirling it around. 

"Believe me, we don't want you to get bored again, either." Hosuh said.

"You can go and find some money for us. I know that there should be some jobs around that will get money quickly." Daniel suggested. "And legally." He added moment later, hoping that would lessen the chances of them getting into trouble.

"Where am I supposed to find a storekeeper that'll hire a random necromancer?" Stephen asked, frowning.

"You can take off your robe and go into civilian clothes?" Hosuh suggested, leaning toward Stephen. 

"No."

"Then figure it out!" Daniel yelled, flicking Stephen on the head. He ignored Stephen's protests after.

"Should I change into civilian clothes too?" Hosuh asked, looking down at his white robe. 

"I don't know, that's up to you. Although maybe if you would like to be in less noticeable clothing?" Dan said, smiling.

"I'll just take the robe off." Hosuh said, pulling off his robe, revealing plain gray clothes underneath. He gave the folded robe to Daniel, then patted down his clothes, getting rid of some dirt.

"Okay." Daniel said, putting the robe in his inventory. "Now, let's remember, no causing any trouble. And no killing the guards, Stephen."

"It was only three times!" Stephen protested, throwing his hands up.

"Three times is enough to get us on a another wanted poster!" Daniel sighed, smiling.

"Come on, it'll be fun! We can explore new places and meet new people! This time it'll go better and we'll all have a grand old time. Let's go." Daniel said, and went off to the gate of the kingdom. Hosuh and Stephen followed behind reluctantly.

  
  
  


At the same time as the trio walked the gates, deep inside the kingdom, in the royal castle sitting atop the hill, the King sat on his throne.

His servants ran up to him, keeping his wine cup filled and asking if everything was up to standard every three seconds. 

He took a long sip of his drink and sighed. More papers to sign, more people to please. More silk clothes and boring documents, and countless, countless responsibilities. The most interesting thing that had happened this week was a rat in the maids room.

He got up from his chair, walking to a nearby window. Being stuck in a castle was getting suffocating at this point, he was no longer even allowed to go too far in the royal gardens due to the fact he kept sneaking out. 

Jay was getting really fed up with being a king. 


	2. Settling In

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The trio finds a place to sleep. Jay's making a little plan, and Daniel is like 80 percent sure that the shady inn guy is on their side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I need some more sleep. Point out any small misspellings or mistakes I did! I usually "sketch" these out at like one in the morning then work on them from there, so mistakes are to be expected.

And so the three adventures walked into the kingdom, ready for for anything. They walked in heads high and smiles sorta awkward, hoping these gaurds hadn't heard of the ladybug fiasco in the other kingdoms less than two weeks ago. 

Daniel _really _needs to put a leash on Stephen. Hosuh doesn't _usually _cause trouble, but as for Stephen, trouble seems to be a hobby. A really, really annoying hobby. At least for Dan.

Stephen had eyed the guards as they walked past the gate but Daniel subtly stepped on his foot so he wouldn't look too suspicious and while Stephen did yelp, he didn't fuss.

He did put a bug down Dan's shirt a couple minutes later as revenge, though.

Hosuh was yelling the entire time, and Daniel was just glad they were away from the guards. Not because they were breaking the law, but because they definitely looked like nutjobs as Dan screeched rolling on the ground, Hosuh yelling and kneeling on the ground trying to help Dan, and Stephen laughing like a maniac in the background.

Stephen is now is no longer allowed to have sweets for a week.

But anyway, glossing over the disaster that is them, they eventually made their way into the town. 

The town was huge, there were rows and rows of different buildings, shops, and bars that Dan made a note of to keep Stephen away from. 

The paths were winding like a maze, each path leading to even more buildings and shops. 

After what felt like hours(but was probably only like 15 minutes) of stumbling their way through crowds of people, they finally arrived at what seemed to be a plaza of a sort. 

The place was packed with people, and it was _loud. _There were tons of stalls put up at every corner, each having a merchant screaming at them to buy something or to take advantage of this incredible deal!

People having passing conversations, a group of kids playing with a ball by a fruit stall nearby, and some street performers playing music by the main fountain in the middle of the plaza. 

Hosuh watched as a short haired women played a guitar elegantly. Daniel had to grab him by the back of the shirt to keep him from wandering off. Daniel yanked at Stephen's arm as he tried to get to a stall selling enchanted items. 

"Nope, Hosuh, stay with the group. Stephen, stop trying to get to magic items, remember what happened with that darn enchanted rock?" Daniel said, holding back Stephen, who was trying his darnest to walk away.

"I think the fire rock was a very educational experience!" Stephen said, grinning.

"I had scorch marks on my robe for the whole day..." Hosuh whispered, recalling the disaster that day was.

"Moving on!" Daniel yelled, trying to get Stephen away from more of his ideas. "What do you guys want to do first?"

Hosuh looked to the performers by the fountain, then stuttered out a sorry as a person ran into him, pushing him backwards. 

"I don't like crowds!" Stephen whined, leaning onto Dan, who had to take a moment to regain his balance. 

"I think we should get to the inn first, then wait till the crowd dies down… I dont really like getting ran into so often. " Hosuh said to Daniel, dodging the people passing. 

"Yeah, that sounds good. I can go get a room for us, meanwhile, you two wait by the fountain, okay? Go watch the performers. Stephen, no starting fights or I'm upping the sweets ban." Daniel said, pushing them both in the direction of the water fountain. 

"What?! You can't do that!" Stephen protested, reluctantly letting Hosuh drag him to the music performers.

"What's that? I can't hear you, I think the crowd is too loud! Oh well." Daniel shrugged, then ran off to get a room for them.

Stephen grumbled as Hosuh pulled him along. 

"Oh, come on, Stephen! Look at the performers!" Hosuh said, pointing at a man who was juggling.

"A juggler?" Stephen asked. "Oooh, I wonder if he can juggle something more dangerous than sticks!"

"Stephen, no!" Hosuh yelled, running after Stephen. 

Daniel made his way through the busy crowd, accidentally stepping on a few peoples feet and bumping into a couple people, but he soon found a building named Frank's Inn.

The sign was old and dusty, and looked like it was going to fall off his pole any day now. Daniel offhandedly wondered if he could get a free room if the sign fell on him.

He stepped in, and the bell at the top of the door dinged as he swung the door open. 

There was a man sitting at the counter, presumably Frank. He was dressed in plain dark brown clothing, and his head bald. (HES BLACK AIGHT(listen bro roll with it dont you dare question my writing skills, its one am)) Daniel noted that his eyes were a brilliant yellow. 

He had a serious expression, and his eyes stayed on Dan's swords as soon as he stepped inside. He offered no smile, and Dan immediately felt like he should be on guard, like this man knew exactly who Dan was.

"Welcome to my little Inn." He said, his eyes finally leaving Dan's sword, looking past his eyes into his soul. Daniel felt like blowing a raspberry just to annoy him. Looks like Stephen was rubbing off. "Looking for a room?"

"Oh, yes please." Daniel said, snapping out of his thoughts. "Could I get a room for three?"

"How long yall planning on staying?" Frank said, eyes glancing at Dan's bright green hair, eyebrows furrowing. Daniel tensed up, wondering if he should just sprint. His hair was usually the first thing described in a wanted poster, _suprisingly, _green hair _isn't _common. He stands out in a crowd, that's for sure. 

"Just a week or so." Daniel responded, keeping a steady gaze with the innkeeper. 

"Where you three coming from?"

"Just traveling. You know, dropping by to just explore." Daniel shrugged. 

"Any of you three be a healer, by any chance?"

"Listen, man, what's with the interrogation? Are you trying to say something?" Daniel asked, acting annoyed and confident. He was very internally panicking and yelling right now. Alarms going off. He can jump through the window to throw him off!

"Hm. No, no, I just wanted to know, you three wouldn't happen to be the ones who set that one building on fire in the kingdom over? About a month ago?"

Daniel grimaced, remembering how that night had ended with them jumping off one of the castle walls and landing into a lake. The water was freezing, but none of them got too sick thanks to Hosuh. Stephen had flipped off a royal guard as they swam away. 

Fun night. 

Dan let out a sigh. "How much for you to forget I was ever here?" He said, pulling out his bag of coins, hoping he had enough to bribe him. 

Frank burst out laughing, his serious demeanor turning into a light hearted one, throwing off Daniel enough that he fumbled with his money bag.

"Oh, don't worry yourself, kid. I'm just messing with you. I won't say nothin. You and your groups shenanigans have spread through the lands and I find it hilarious."

Daniel relaxed and sighed, putting away his bag. "Thank you so much, I need just one day without guards running after us."

"It's nothing, kid. Say, what was with that ladybug incident I've heard about last week?" Frank said, handing him a set of keys.

"Uhhhhh, that." Just as Daniel slipped the keys into his pocket, Hosuh and Stephen came crashing through the door.

"Daniel! Stephen made the performer mess up!" Hosuh said, before being pushed to the side by Stephen.

"I didn't do anything! Hosuh is exaggerating it!" Stephen yelled, trying to step in front of Hosuh. Hosuh pushed back, fighting to get to Daniel first.

"No I'm not!"

"Uh, yes you are!"

Daniel clapped his hands together, grabbing their attention. "Hey, hey! Come on, I got a room, why don't you two go check it out?" Daniel suggested, pulling out the keys and handing them to Hosuh.

"I want to go buy stuff." Stephen whined, pulling at his hood.

"I wanted to go look at the performers some more…" Hosuh said, smiling at Stephen being dramatic.

"First one there gets their own bed." Daniel said in a deadpan voice, and immediately they both raced off to the stairs, racing upstairs where the rooms were. 

"Move over, Hosuh, I'm getting the bed!" Stephen yelled.

"No way, I shared with Daniel last time!" Hosuh retaliated. Daniel heard a bang that he hoped wasn't one of them pushing each other into a wall. Well, none of them fell down the stairs, so maybe not the worst thing. 

"_CHEATER_!" Stephen yelled, his voice utterly offended. 

Their bickering faded away upstairs. 

Frank leaned against the counter, and let out a airy chuckle. "How do you keep them from destroying everthing?"

"Bribing with sweets and lots of yelling."

"Ha! Good luck with your children." Frank said, disappearing into the backroom, chuckling to himself. 

Daniel sighed, accepting the truth of the statement, and went upstairs to see who got to the room first and to stop the wrestling match that had surely started. 

  
  
~~~

"My king? Sir? Excuse me, sir?"

Jay snapped out of his trance, looking away from the window where he had staring at the buildings for several minutes. "Oh, yes?"

"Its just you seemed a bit distracted, is all." The servant said, smiling awkwardly. 

"Right...thank you."

"Pleasure to serve you, Sir." She said, walking back to the side of the door to await orders. 

Jay turned back to his paperwork on his desk, sighing under his breath.

He  _ really  _ wanted to go explore the market in the town right now. Last week he was able to sneak out for over an hour in the middle of the night. He almost got robbed and he had bought an apple that was extremely overpriced, but it was infinitely better than all of his nights locked up in the castle. He wished he could have stayed out a while longer but he didn't want the guards to realize he was still sneaking out.

He was already being restricted in places he was allowed to go.

He looked over some mail from other kingdoms, skimming over them. Asking for money, asking for an alliance, warning about a group of criminals, wanting to invite him to a ball, how much mail does he _really _need to read? 

His royal advisor burst into the room, smiling the annoying smile that he knew too well. It was the "I just found a _Wonderful _opportunity for you and its going to be so great" smile.

"Guess what, my King!" 

"What?" Jay stared at the man, his multicolored eyes locked onto him.

The next words that came out of the mans mouth made Jay want to set his desk on fire. 

The sun went down, and night arrived. Jay finally arrived at his room after an incredibly horrid day.

Marriage.

They were trying to get him _MARRIED. _Being a king on it's own was dull enough, but now he had to throw forced romance into the mix? 

Jay took a deep breath. He felt like yelling. 

He was _Not _going to deal with this, he thought, mind racing. This was the last straw. He was going to get out of this goddamn kingdom.

He went to his closet, changing into his simplest clothes he could find. Which were still made with ridiculously good fabric, but they would at least help him blend in a little. 

He pulled out a black cloak, putting the hood up and pulling it over his eyes. He was going to need an eye patch or something, his eyes were incredibly easy to point out in a crowd. 

He grabbed a bag and piled in as much money as he could carry, then after a moment of thought, put in a small dagger too.

He swung it over his shoulder, declaring himself ready.   
  
He cracked his door open, peering out into the hallway. He jumped as he saw a guard right next to his door. They probably saw this coming.

The guard looked to Jay, who was half behind the door, wondering if he should pull out his little dagger.

After a moment, the guard smiled reassuringly, then looked the other way. Jay stood in place for a moment, then got his bearings. He stepped out the door, and ran down the hallway, to the secret passageways he always used to sneak out, except this time he wasn't coming back.

As he ran off, the guard by the door didn't say a thing, and stayed silent as he got away. 

Meanwhile, Stephen was strolling the streets, taking a nice walk. In the middle of the night. 

He had gotten to the room second, (although he _insists _that Hosuh shouldering him was _cheating)_ and was forced to share with Dan. While he was a bit tired and could have laid down and rested like the other two, he still wanted to see the town, so he got up and went out. 

Not before informing half asleep Daniel that he was going out of course. Dan responded a muffled "be safe, don't die." Through his pillow, and returned to snoring. 

Sleepy Dan was always much more lenient with his rules.

So here he was, taking a nice walk through the town under the stars in the nice silence of the street.

"Come one, we know you got something in that bag!"

"Oh, Get off!"

Okay, scratch the silence.

Stephen sped up his pace and hid in the shadows, peering over the corner to see what was happening further down the street. 

There, a group of guys were mugging another dude in a cloak. 

Now usually, Stephen wouldn't care. He  _ shouldn't  _ care, because he's tired, and it's night, and Daniel  _ did  _ say to not cause trouble. 

But since was that ever fun? Daniel oughta be proud, here he was helping a poor citizen being mugged.

  
  


Snapping back to Jay, he was not doing so well right now. Not even 20 minutes out of the castle walls, and he's already being mugged. His luck is just _fantastic_. 

"I'm not handing over anything, so you can go and fuck off!" He yelled, scowling at the men, reaching for his dagger. Jay did _not _have the time for this.

"You're lying! Open up that ba-" the robber couldn't finish his sentence as he was interrupted by being smacked over the head with a piece of wood.

Jay watched in silence and shock as the man fell to the floor, face first into the dirt. The other man also stared at his friend on the floor, before realizing there was a threat, however he did not have a moment to react and also promptly got knocked out by being smacked across the head.

What a change of events.

Jay looked up to see his savior and saw a dude with purple hair in necromancer clothing. What the heck.

"Yo." Stephen said, twirling around the piece of wood he just used to knock out two guys.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave a comment, or don't. I mean, it would be nice, but you could also just not so- 
> 
> Also I already have like 50 hits what


	3. An hour into the day, and there's a bar fight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Imagine this. Danplan, but with brain cells. Wack.

"Yo." Stephen greeted, twirling around the piece of wood he had found on the ground. 

It was a pretty good piece of wood. According to Stephen, if you were in a pinch, anything could be a weapon. Whether you needed a weapon for a fight or for rescuing someone getting mugged.

The guy he just saved did not seem very appreciative, however, he noted. He was definitely on the shady side. Stephen was 68 percent sure the dude probably had a knife on him.

"Lovely night we're having, huh?" He said, trying to strike up a conversation. Hosuh always said to be friendly to strangers!

"I guess. Minus the mugging, I'm sure it's nice." He responded, in a sarcastic tone. "I'm Jay."

"Stephen. Soooo, what do I get." There was a pause from Jay as he processed Stephen's question.

"What?"

"I just saved you from very bad dudes! Shouldn't you give me like a couple coins for your gratitude?"

"I'm pretty sure you gave them a concussion."

"Eh, I'm sure they're fine. Not my problem." Stephen said, twirling around the piece of wood again.

"Are you trying to mug me?"

"Hmmmm, well, if you're not give going to give me a reward, then..." Stephen trailed off.

Jay stared at Stephen for a little bit, then an idea popped into his mind.

"How about a job instead?" Stephen stared at Jay for a moment, then yeeted the piece of wood to the side.

"Start talking."

~~~

The sun came up, and with it came morning and singing birds. Daniel woke up to legs kicking him in his side and the snoring of his friends filling the room.

The sun was shining through the window, landing on Dan's face and Dan closed his eyes for a moment, feeling the warmth. He glanced over at Hosuh, who was sleeping peacefully and still, then observed Stephen who was still kicking him and taking most of the blanket.

He got up from the bed, dodging Stephens swinging legs and watching how as soon as he got off the bed, Stephen stole his pillow. 

Figures. 

Stretching and looking at the sun coming through the window, Daniel took note that they needed to get breakfast soon. Maybe Frank could suggest something, he would probably know the shops around here.

With that thought, he nodded to himself and went to the bathroom to wash his face so he could fully wake up. 

Stephen started to stir as Daniel walked away, the sun laying on his face. He blinked his eyes and laid there wondering if he should get up, or sleep in until Daniel or Hosuh ended up dragging him out of bed.

He closed his eyes again, feeling fuzzy from the sleep. He feels like he forgot something important, but he just can't place his finger on what it was.

Just as he completed that thought, Stephen heard a high pitched scream from the bathroom. 

"STEPHEN!" Came from Daniel a moment after. 

Stephen groaned out loud. So much for sleeping in. "What?" Stephen yelled back, turning his face into his pillow.

"Why is there a random guy in our bathtub?!" Daniel harshly whispered, speed walking out of the bathroom. 

Stephen opened his eyes fully, thinking. Oh right! _That's_ what he forgot.

He lifted his face from the pillow, looking at Dan. "Why do you immediately blame me for some random dude in our bathtub?"

Daniel gave him a stern stare.

"Yeah, okay, it is my fault."

"Why?!"

"It's part of my new job!" Stephen said cheerfully, turning and waving his arm at Daniel. "I got some good money last night, aren't you proud of me?"

"A job." 

"Yes."

"You got a job."

"Yes, Dan, why are you repeating me?"

"When did you get a job!?"

"_Last night!_ I was like, 'Hey dan, I'm going to go for a walk real quick, be right back!' And you were like 'Okay Stephen, have fun!' Remember?"

"I don't remember that!"

"You  _ were _ half asleep so that might be why."

Hosuh, hearing the commotion, groanedfrom under his covered, sounding annoyed. He woke up, his hair a mess and sleep marks on his face.

"What's going on? What did Stephen do?" He said, sitting up in his bed. 

"I'm offended that you immediately think that  _ I  _ did something!" Stephen said, at the same time as Daniel rang out,

"Stephen has a random guy in our bathtub."

Housh brushed his hair back with his hand, now awake. "Stephen! What did we say about dead bodies!"

"Relax, he's alive."

"And awake, thanks to the screaming." Jay said, stumbling out of the bathroom and yawning. 

"Oh. Good morning." Greeted Hosuh, waving politely. 

Stephen plopped his face back into the pillow and waved his arms from the bed, still half asleep. "Daniel, Hosuh, this is Jay. Jay, Hosuh is the one on the bed, and Dan is the green haired dude who is probably giving me a very mean glare." 

"Hello!" Jay waved back to Hosuh, smiling.

Dan grabbed Stephen by the arm and dragged him out of the covers, off the bed. Stephen hit the floor with an "oomph". 

Dan pulled him to his feet, gave Jay a strained smile, then pushed Stephen towards the door. "I'm going to have a talk with Stephen in the hallway. Stay here for a moment?"

"Sure." Jay shrugged.

"Hosuh, save me!" Stephen said, getting cut off by the door closing behind him. 

Jay turned to Hosuh, who chucked at Stephen being dragged off, then got up and started making the bed. 

"Well, once Daniel is done chewing out Stephen, we probably should go eat. Know anywhere good around nearby?"

"Ah," Jay faltered, thinking. Right about now they were probably going to sound the alarms of how he was missing from his bed. Would it even be smart to go out?

Jay's stomach grumbled, and he decided food was very necessary at the moment. He's hungry. If guards find him, then he's sprinting. 

Hosuh watching him while sitting on the bed, fiddling with his shirt.

"Oh, uh no, I don't know anywhere. I'm not exactly familiar with this area...but I'd go for anything right now." Jay said, finally answering Hosuh.

"I'm sure Dan will find something. I could go for some soup right now."

"I could-" Jay was interrupted as the door swung open with Daniel beaming. 

"Okay, so, there's a bar/restaurant nearby. We're gonna go eat, alright? Let's go!" He turned and went out the door. Stephen stood by the side of the door, pouting. 

"So?" Hosuh asked, walking past him.

"A whole month with no dessert." Stephen said, tapping his foot.

Jay followed behind them snickering. 

  
  
  
  


"So, how did you encounter Stephen?" Hosuh asked Jay, biting into his bread. 

"Don't talk about me like I'm some random wild creature in the fields!" Stephen said, eating his food. 

They had found the diner place, surprisingly, and with Jay's money on hand, they were able to get a full course meal for a couple of his coins. Daniel thought it was a little shady, but money was money and they needed food, so he just ate his food. 

Jay sipped at his stew, glancing at Stephen, who was fiddling with a dinner knife. 

He twirled it between his fingers, sticking out his tongue in concentration as to not drop it. Daniel grabbed the knife from his hand and scolded him, telling him to eat. Stephen responded with some not so nice words.

"I was trying to get out of the kingdom, but I got held up with a few people trying to mug me. Stephen helped out, and I thought that being in a group would be easier than trying to leave by myself."

"Why are you leaving?" Hosuh questioned, tilting his head as he held up his spoon. 

"Just…" Jay looked to the entrance of the busy shop. Royal guards were talking with the owner, either on break or looking for him. Jay pulled his hood a little more over his eyes. "...got bored of here. I haven't really explored outside of this kingdom and I'm curious, you know?"

"Well, you could stick with us if you'd like once we leave the kingdom. Although I do suggest you get used to fire." Dan said, leaning on the table, placing his head onto his hand. 

"What?"

"Long story, not  _ that  _ important. Here's what  _ I  _ want to know." Stephen gestured with another dinner knife he had pulled out from somewhere. 

He ignored Daniel protesting against Stephen having a weapon.

"So, are guards a problem? Because...you keep trying to hide your face from them." Stephen pointed out, glancing to the guards in question.

Jay froze and widened his eyes. On the outside he looked slightly nervous, on the inside he was currently screaming and wondering if someone out there really had it out for him, because at this point, he was going to be dragged back to the castle in two hours.

"Switch seats with me, Jay?" Hosuh suddenly said, not giving him a moment to respond as he got up and pulled Jay out of his seat.

Jay sat down next to his original seat, slightly confused, but then realized a moment later what Hosuh had done. 

The guards from earlier walked past their table. From where Jay was sitting, the guards couldn't see his face, only the back of his head. 

The group of royal guards sat at a table by them and yelled for drinks, talking and socializing loudly, like the rest of the people in the bar. 

Jay looked away from the guards and looked to Dan for an answer to his unspoken question. 

"We aren't the most….law abiding people. We've been in so many jails, man. If you're a criminal or something, you oughta say so." Daniel said, keeping his voice low.

"We've literally broken every law there is, Daniel, stop sugar coating it." Stephen kicked his feet onto the table.

"You say that like it's not a bad thing!" Hosuh whispered harshly, smacking Stephen's boots with a napkin.

"Is it though?"

"Yes!"

Jay snorted, looking over to Daniel. "I'm not a criminal. I haven't broken any laws."

"That'll change in a week." Stephen said 

"Stephen, shut up." Daniel scolded. Stephen stuck his tongue out. 

"Buuut," Jay lowered his voice, "things would get kinda complicated if guards found me. Especially royal ones. Mind if we don't stay in this kingdom for too long?"

"Gee, what'd you do, flip off the king?" Stephen asked.

"He's not you, Stephen." Hosuh said, smiling. 

"Thank goodness for that." Dan mumbled, putting his head to the table at the thought of dealing with two Stephen's. 

Hosuh laughed while Stephen started to talk about two of him would mean twice the fun.

"More like twice the trouble." Daniel responded, laughing.

Jay smiled as Stephen scoffed dramatically, leaning his chair back. He opened his mouth, about to say something, but then his sleeve was being pulled at. He looked to Hosuh, who had wide eyes next to him, shaking his head the tiniest bit. 

He heard clinking behind him, and a armored hand laid onto the table. 

A royal freaking guard walked up to their table. Joy. 

"Hey. You four are causing a ruckus around here?" The guard said. His voice was deep and unfriendly, and he stared specifically at Stephen. 

Daniel glanced to Stephen, who just looked unimpressed, and looked at Jay, who was sweating bullets. He had his hood on, so the guard couldn't see his face, but this was very, very close.

"We haven't done anything wrong, sir. You accusing us of something?" Daniel asked, leaning towards and trying to keep the guards attention on his while Jay was going through the stages of grief on his chair.

"I'm saying that he should not be here." The guard said, pointing to Stephen. 

"What?" Hosuh stuttered out, looking surprised. 

"Necromancers ain't ever nothing but trouble."

Stephen chuckled, even if there was nothing funny about the situation. "Excuse me?"

"You heard what I said. I don't want people like you near here. Get out." The guard said, not taking his eyes off Stephen, who was scowling at the man. 

"I haven't done anything! Back off, asshole." Stephen snarled, taking his feet off the table.

"I wasn't asking what you did. I was ordering you. You really want to pick a fight with a royal guard?" 

"Oh, please." Stephen scoffed.

The guard huffed and went around the table behind Daniel, reaching over to grab Stephen. 

Daniel rose from his seat, kicking his seat back onto the floor and pulling out his sword. He pushed the guard back, moving the table.

The conversations around them had gone quiet.

The guard unsheathed his sword and Hosuh pulled Jay to the side. Jay made sure to keep his head down. 

Stephen glared from behind Daniel, his eyes glowing the faintest bit. "Now is not the time for a murdering spree!" Daniel whispered, keeping his sword pointed at the guard. 

Everyone had gone quiet, and the other guards at the table were now also watching. Hosuh held his breath, wondering if he and Jay should get out before a fight broke out.

"You really going to start a fight with me, boy?" The guard teased Daniel, waving his sword. 

Dan took a step forward and put the edge of his sword onto the center of the guards chest. 

"I don't really want to. But if you don't leave us alone, I'm going to freaking fight."

One of the other guards from the table nearby unsheathed their sword.

Stephen groaned, glaring once more at the guard and pulled Dan back, grabbing at his shoulders and leaning against him.

"Just go away, I just want to  _ eat. _ "

"So do I. Preferably without a dangerous criminal next to me." 

"You don't even know me!"

"All necromancers are dangerous. It's how it goes."

Stephen huffed, smiling and glancing at Jay and Hosuh who were stood off to the side.

"Ok, screw you." Stephen said, and he took a pint of beer from the table and splashed it into the guards face. 

The man yelled, and charged at Stephen, but was then tackled to the ground by Daniel. Stephen picked up a chair and slammed it over another guards head as one of them rushed over to try and apprehend them.

Jay and Hosuh tried to make their way out of the building, and Jay watched as the place went into a full out brawl. 

He ducked, pulling Hosuh down with him as he dodged a flying bottle. 

He watched as a man punched another person in the jaw, then threw them onto a table, breaking the table.

Hosuh pulled at his arm, and Jay turned back to him.

"Let's crawl, come on." Hosuh said, crawling along the wall and going past two women who were sword fight with what seemed to be broken pieces of wood.

One of the guards ran up to them and tried kicking at Hosuh, who was cornered against the wall. Jay grabbed a bottle from a nearby table and smashed it over his head, knocking him out cold. 

Hosuh looked at him and the broken remains of the bottle in Jay's hand. They both shrugged and Jay threw the bottle to the side. 

Hosuh shook his head and kept making his way to the door, dodging fighting people and standing to the side a few times.

Jay followed, glancing back at Dan and Stephen. 

Stephen was currently kicking a guard with a large beard who was on the ground, looking extremely ticked off yet happy at the same time.

Daniel was slashing his sword with the main dude who approached them. He seemed to be more on the defensive side, but he watched as Dan found an opening, and instead of hitting the guard with his sword, Dan threw a punch at him, knocking him out cold. 

Stephen was done with kicking the guard and was instead throwing dinner knives that Dan had previously grabbed from him from behind an overturned table. He threw them with startling accuracy, but Jay looked closer and realized he wasn't just using skill but he was also manipulating them with his magic abilities.

"Stephen!" Dan yelled from next to a table he was kneeling by. Dan threw three knives to him, and Stephen caught them with absolute glee. 

Daniel looked like he was regretting his decision the second the knifes left his hands. 

Stephen stood up and threw the knives once more and they landed into the wall, pinning the Cape of a guard onto it. The guard yelled in frustration and tried to cut their Cape off. 

Daniel ran from where he was, and grabbed Stephen, running off. Jay lost sight of them, and Hosuh pulled him along.

They got to the door, and ran out, hearing the commotion of the fight behind them.

Running to the side of the building, they got to an alleyway area between the shop and another store. 

Hosuh panted and leaned against the wall, sliding down until he hit the ground. 

Daniel and Stephen came a few moments later, both of them dirty and covered with food, beer, dirt and some blood. 

Daniel was bleeding profusely from his hand and Stephen had a small cut across his cheek. Daniel's hand was messily wrapped in a cloth, which was quickly turning red.

"Wasn't that just fun?" Stephen rang out, beaming like he just came back from a pleasant jog. 

"No it wasn't! We came to get food, not start another bar fight!" Daniel yelled, holding his injured hand to his chest.

"We got some food. Then we had entertainment on the side!" Jay said, raising up a finger. 

"See! Jay has a good thought process." Stephen smiled, holding his elbow that was starting to bruise. 

"Oh no, there's two of them." Daniel mumbled, his head falling forward. 

Hosuh sighed fondly from where he was sitting.

They made their way back to the inn, Frank giving them a snort and judgemental look as they walked past, but nothing more.

They rested and recovered in the room, all of them except Jay having to sit on the floor because, 

"Don't get blood on the covers, Stephen!"

"Me? Says the one who has their hand BLEEDING OUT." 

"You're bleeding too!"

"Come on, Dan, give me your hand, let me start working on it." Hosuh said, grabbing Dan's hand and using his healing. 

As the bleeding lessened, Dan went over the events of the past hour in his head and groaned. "Its moments like this where I'm eternally grateful for Hosuh being a healer."

"Does this happen often?" Jay asked, aiming his question towards Stephen. 

"Eh, only like, once a week, twice a week, every other day, you know." Stephen shrugged, rubbing at his cut on his cheek, which had stopped bleeding a while ago.

"So, turns out you didn't last a week without breaking a law, huh Jay?" Hosuh said, smiling. 

"Provoking a fight with a royal guard. Fun."


	4. Shopping time!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the most committed I've ever been to a story of mine. I'm not surprised.

After about an hour of Hosuh healing Stephen and Daniel's injuries from the bar fight, Daniel's hand had fully stopped bleeding and was only a scab, and Stephen's cut on his cheek had dissapeared. Unfortunately, Hosuh had also passed out on the floor. Side affect of using his magic in large amounts.

Daniel sighed and picked up Hosuh from the floor and put him on the bed.

"I think we should go out and buy a few things, pack up, and get out of here." Daniel said, turning to Jay who was sitting crisscross on the bed with Stephen across from him.

"Of the inn? Or the whole kingdom?" Jay asked, looking up from his game of chess he was playing with Stephen. So far, Stephen was losing and pouting while glaring at the game like it personally offended him.

"Kingdom." Daniel responded, smiling at Stephen's disgruntled expression, looking back to Jay. "With your whole issue with the guards and me and Stephen already being labeled as people who attacked royal guards, I dont think its smart to stay here."

"Yeah, I think so too." Jay looked back to his game to caculate his next move. He paused, observing the board game. Stephen had swapped the pieces.

"Fucker." Jay swore, glaring at Stephen. 

"I have no clue what you're talking about." Stephen shrugged, putting on an innocent face. 

Jay glared at Stephen for a full minute while Stephen smiled gleefully like a little shit in response, fully knowing that it was obvious he had swapped some of the pieces. Jay flipped the board into his face.

Stephen yelled and kicked Jay off the bed as Jay started to laugh hysterically.

Daniel watched the debacle go down then walked over to the two of them to knock on their heads and scold them. 

  
  
  
  


Hosuh slowly woke up to Daniel sitting by him on the bed and reading a book silently. His back was facing Stephen and Jay, who looked to be trying to balance chess pieces on their heads while whispering harshly at each other. 

Stephen tried kicking at Jay's legs while Jay was trying to push at Stephen to knock the chess pieces off.

"Mornin'" Daniel greeted, not looking up from his book and flicking the page.

"Hi." Hosuh responded, sitting up.

Stephen looked to Hosuh and upon seeing him awake, immediately rushed to Daniel, the chess peices on his head toppling over.

He knocked the book out of Daniel's hands, grinning. "He's up! Let's go!"

"I was reading that." Daniel said, looking solemnly at the fallen book on the ground, but got up anyways.

"What? Where are we going?" Hosuh asked, reaching down to pick up the chess pieces that had fallen from Stephen's head. 

"The marketplace. We should go buy some food and supplies so we can start packing." Daniel responded, stretching his arms over his head.

"Oh, okay."

Jay shook the chess pieces off his head and put on his hood. Stephen threw a chess piece at Daniel, who swatted it away and secured his sword. He flicked Stephen on the head and went out the door.

The group followed, Hosuh giving a yawn as he went out the door.

  
~  
  
  


"Stephen,  _ no.  _ I said no cursed items!" Daniel yelled from behind Hosuh, rushing over to stop Stephen from grabbing a item from a stall.

"Its a pen, Daniel, how dangerous can it be?"

"I'll _show_ you how dangerous it is if you keep-" Daniel was cut off by Jay coming out of nowhere and running him and yelling.

"Dan! Theres a man selling puppies by the corner! You have to buy one!" Jay said, his eyes sparkling.

"Puppies!" Hosuh squealed from behind Dan.

"No, we are not getting a dog." Daniel tried protesting, but it fell on deaf ears as the three others already ran to said dogs to pet them.

Daniel followed, but not before stopping at a wall of flyers that caught his eye.

There were multiple posters of wanted criminals and news. Missing people, advertisiments, the usual. Daniel squinted at a certain one then ripped it off the wall, observing it for a moment, and then putting it in his back pocket. 

Then he ran to the group just as Jay and Stephen were trying to make a plan on stealing a dog. 

  
  
  
  


Eventually, Dan dragged them away from the pets and got them to actually start being productive. Which he knew wouldn't last long so he tried his best.

Jay and Hosuh went off to be in charge of food and such, while Daniel and Stephen partnered up to look for potions, bandages, and a few knifes on Stephen's insistence. 

They passed a couple stalls, Daniel holding a few healing potions that they got.

"This one is made of pure gold, look at those lovely jewels, aren't they spectacular? Absolutely marvelous!" A seller said from nearby, trying to grab peoples attention. He waved at Stephen to come by, who walked to the stall with a bored face, Dan following behind.

"You , young man, could do with a blade like this one! Impress the ladies, eh?"

"Do you have anything that  _ isn't _ outrageously overpriced in this stall?" Stephen asked, raising an eyebrow and completely unimpressed by the emeralds embedded in the shiny knife.

"Uh, er." The seller faltered, withering under Stephen's unimpressed look. Stephen yawned.

"Well, I have this lovely blue sword right here-"

"I'm not a sword kinda guy."

"In that case, how about this nice bright blue blade-"

"Eh."

"Uhm, I have this red knife with the most beautiful hilt there could be!"

Stephen took the knife from the mans hands and observed it, humming.

The man smiled nervously.

"Nah." Stephen dropped the knife on the table on top of the small pile of knifes the man kept offering. He raised his head and saw one that caught his eye.

"Ooh, how about that one!" Stephen said, pointing to the knife in question.

The seller turned to look at it, sweating as he realized which one he was pointing at. He grabbed it and showed it to Stephen. 

"Ah, this one! It's an incredibly simple dagger, with a small cracked amethyst embedded in the handle. However, I'm afraid I can't really sell it, its enchanted to work with magic and those weapons arent really-"

"How much is it?" Stephen asked, leaning forward.

"Well, I'm not able to sell you this one. However, I have many that are very similar and can-"

"No, I would like that one. "

"I'm afraid I cannot-"

"How much?"

"Sir, did you not hear what I just said!? You can not-" The seller stopped his sentence as he noticed Daniel who had been standing behind Stephen the whole time.

Daniel smiled with a smile that didn't reach his eyes, which were glowing with the aura of "you really want to mess with me?" He placed a hand on his sword casually. 

The seller laughed nervously. "On second thought, I'll sell it to you."

  
  
  
  


Stephen walked away with his new dagger and Daniel lead the way as they made their way to where Hosuh and Jay were.

They found Hosuh under the shade of a tree, holding a bag full of vegetables in one hand and a pineapple in another.

"Where's Jay?" Daniel asked, grabbing the pineapple and giving it to Stephen so he could be beneficial. 

"Oh, I lost him for a little while, but I found him again. He's arguing about the prices of a couple apples with a seller over there." Hosuh pointed to where Jay was gesturing wildly to another seller. Daniel couldn't see Jay's face from under his hood, but he looked very enthusiastic about his opinion.

So far, it looked like Jay was winning the argument. 

"I also got this!" Hosuh said, pulling out a small necklace from under his shirt. It was a little silver bottle with what looked to hold a small amount of water.

"What's that?" Stephen questioned, scrunching his eyebrows at the necklace. 

"A small energy potion. I thought that if we get caught in a pinch and I need to heal you guys then run, this will let me stay up for a while longer instead of passing out." Hosuh informed, putting the necklace back under his collar. 

"I'm sure it'll be useful." Daniel said, smiling.

Jay arrived at the group a moment later, with a bag of apples, beaming. 

"So, didja get a deal on those or something?" Stephen asked, looking at the bag. 

"The seller got tired of me arguing with me, so he told me to take the apples and never come back." Jay smiled, shrugging. "And since we're leaving soon, I didn't think we would be back anyway."

"So, what you're saying is that you got banned from a fruit stall." Daniel wearedly asked.

"Ehhh, yeah, more or less."

Dan sighed, rubbing at his head. "Okay, that's fine. Let's go over to where they were selling bandages, me and Stephen forgot to grab some."

"Oh yeah, bandages." Stephen repeated out loud, throwing the pineapple to Daniel because he no longer wanted to carry it.

Daniel fumbled at catching it, then yelled at Stephen, who was pretending to not hear him.

Jay laughed at Daniel's scramble to catch the fruit and walked along with the group. 

He yelped as he was suddenly grabbed by the arm and pulled back. The rest of the group stopped and turned around, concerned. Stephen already pulled a knife out, on the offensive. 

Jay turned rapidly and flinched as his hood was pulled down harshly. He froze as he saw a royal guard right across him, looking mad, and holding his arm with a crushing grip. 

"You." She said, looking furious.

Jay dropped his bag of apples and they rolled out onto the group, hitting his feet. But he hardly paid attention to that.

He forgot. He was having so much fun just living life in a group and going shopping and getting into trouble, that he had forgotten that he was still being searched for. Because he was a missing _king. _Who ran off.

"Oh shit." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think this one is a bit shorter than the other chapters. Sorry bout that, it's two in the morning and I have school tomorrow, :(((


	5. The one where they keep running from guards

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Its 1:30 in the morning. But, like, I'm super proud of this chapter so sleep ain't gonna happen.

"Oh shit."

Jay glanced back at the group, who were looking panicked. He looked back at the guard, wondering for a split second how much trouble he would get in for stabbing a guard. 

"Do you know how much trouble you are in? Disappearing from the castle like that, leaving without a single notice? Everyone has been searching the whole kingdom for you!" She said, glaring at Jay. 

Jay didn't respond, only stared as words weren't coming to him the moment. He was in that state where he was panicking so much that he looked calm. He was screaming internally. 

"Castle? Wait, what is she talking about?" Stephen asked, stepping up with his dagger still in hand.

There was a crowd forming around them at this point. The people who were doing their daily shopping stopped and stared at seeing a guard apprehend someone. Well, that and Stephen holding three different knives. Tends to catch attention.

"Uh-" Jay tried to respond to Stephen but was cut off by the guard, who was still trying to lecture Jay. 

"Do you have any idea how much chaos the castle went into once you were gone? I can't believe-"

"Hey, listen-" Daniel walked up, pushing Stephen behind him. He might have been trying to diffuse the situation or maybe trying to distract her, but he stopped in his tracks as the guard pulled out her sword and pointed it at him.

Daniel raised his hands, sweating at the way of how downhill this situation, no, this entire  _ day _ was going. He was more annoyed at the fact that a sword was being pointed at him than scared, honestly. 

"And you three." The women spoke, raising her sword. 

"You've been helping him? Or maybe you kidnapped him! Either way, you'll be thrown into the dungeons!" She yelled, pulling Jay away from the group. Jay hardly struggled because he was still panicking and processing what was happening, like an old windows program. 

Stephen waved his hand, using some of his magic. The sword flew out of the guard's hand and landed far off. The crowd surrounding them started mumbling to each other as the sword clattered to the floor.

The guard growled and adjusted her grip on Jay, who finally snapped into his senses and started to try and get away. He tugged at his arm, but the guard held a steady grip.

"Okay, would I be able to bribe you?" Jay said, his sentence throwing off the guard so much that she looked away from Dan and gave Jay a confused stare.

Daniel took out his sword, going into a fighting stance. 

Hosuh looked at the fight that was surely about to start, and saw from far away there were people coming towards them. He squinted at them and realized that more guards were running towards their direction.

"Oh, that's not ideal." Hosuh mumbled, pulling at Daniel's armor to get him to look at the approaching guards. 

Daniel saw the guards and faltered for a moment, eye twitching.

"One day. I wanted one day without your guys' shenanigans." He whispered to himself, then put his sword back and ran forward suddenly, ramming into the guard. She let go of Jay, who immediately ran to Hosuh's side. 

The guard yelled in frustration and went to attack Dan but was knocked out by Stephen who came out of nowhere and landed a solid punch while screaming.

She fell unconscious onto the floor, and Stephen stood there with his fist still raised. 

Dan stared at her for a moment, still in a fighting stance, then got a hold of himself and yelled to the others.

"Run!" He said, grabbing Stephen and sprinting.

Hosuh and Jay followed, Jay stumbling over his feet to scramble to get away from the approaching guards. They heard one of them swear at seeing their coworker passed out on the floor. 

"Over there! Don't let them get away!" One of them said, pointing to the four who were sprinting like madman.

"Let's go  _ shopping _ ! It'll be fun!  _ Surely _ being out in the open with  _ guards _ walking around will be just  ** _fine_ ** _ ! _ " Jay yelled as he ran, his words laced with sarcasm.

"Oh shut up, you're the one who pissed off the King or whatever!" Stephen responded, his feet sliding across the dirt as they turned a corner.

"That is  _ not  _ what happened, actually!" Jay said, panting.

"Is now really the time!?" Dan screamed, glancing behind him as they ran down a steep path. 

They had lost most of the guards from running in different directions, but there were still a few running behind them.

One of the guards started to catch up, sprinting and reaching out an arm to grab Jay. Jay ran faster and watched as Hosuh yelled and threw the pineapple they had bought earlier, smacking the guard in the face and making him trip onto the floor. The other guards behind him stumbled as they tried to slow down and not trip on their coworker, but failed and instead fell directly on top of him. They got away with Hosuh yelling sorry about throwing the pineapple. 

They ran for a little while longer, then as they turned a corner, Jay pulled them into an alleyway, swearing under his breath.

There was no doubt that the guards would be on high alert now, searching for him. He pulled his hood over his head, trying his best to cover his face. 

He offhandedly wondered if the guard they knocked out gave a description of them, or if she was still unconscious. 

"Okayyy, Jay, now would be a good time to tell us exactly what the frick you did to piss off the king!" Stephen said, waving his arms around.

"I didn't do anything! I'm innocent!" Jay whispered.

"Really? Because the amount of guards that were trying to apprehend you implied otherwise!"

"Have you considered that maybe the guards mistook me for someone?"

"Look at my face. Look at me. Do you  _ think  _ i believe that?" Stephen gestured towards his face with his hand.

"I haven't-"

"Hey, come on guys, we shouldn't start fighting about this." Hosuh said, patting Stephen on his shoulder. 

"Jay." Daniel looked away from where he was watching for guards. "I know you're not a criminal or anything bad like that, but you know exactly why those guards were chasing you, right?"

Jay grimaced at the question, pulling his hood even more, trying to not look at Daniel. It wasn't entirely effective, because he was still withering under Daniel's stare.

"I...er." Jay stumbled over his words. "Oh stop looking at me like that, you're making me feel guilty!" 

"Spill the beans, man." Stephen said, crossing his arms.

Jay frowned at the ground. He definitely trusted them, and he oughta tell them the truth, but on one hand he's also not entirely convinced that they wouldn't mug him. 

Daniel huffed, pulling out a crumpled up paper. He opened it up and smoothed it out, walking up to Jay, turning it to show it to him.

Jay blinked as he realized what it was. It was a missing poster for the missing king, with a little sketch of his face.

It's been like 5 hours since they realized he was missing from the castle, how the hell did they get posters up so quickly?

"Wait a minute, gimme that." Stephen said, grabbing the paper out of Dan's hands to look at the paper. Hosuh looked over Stephen's shoulder to look at the poster as well. 

"The king was missing? You're the king?! We've been hanging out with a missing  _ king _ !?" Hosuh yelled, gripping his head. 

Stephen snorted as he raised the paper at eye level with Jay, comparing the sketch with Jay's face. 

"I can't believe this! Stephen!" Hosuh said, smacking Stephen in the arm. 

"Hey, I didn't  _ know _ he was the king of this kingdom when I brought him along!" Stephen protested, still holding the paper up.

Dan rubbed his face, sighing. "Its fine, this is fine. We can just let Jay find a guard and get back to his cast-"

" _ No _ !" Jay yelled, cutting him off. The other three stared at his sudden outburst. "I ran  _ away _ from the castle. I want to get out of the kingdom, not go back to ruling it."

"You can't just-"

"Dan, do I look like I care about what I can and can't do?"

"Listen." Dan clasped his hands together, focusing on Jay. 

"No, you listen. I  _ cannot  _ keep being king. I am going to  _ die  _ of boredom. The castle and the people will be fine, my royal advisor will probably take over. He's not a bad person, more annoying if anything. If you dare try making me go back, I  _ will _ throw you three into the dungeons."

"Eh, dungeons aren't really that much of a threat to us, buddy." Stephen said, tugging at his hair.

"The point is, I want to get out of here, go adventuring, or whatever. Literally an hour with you three has been more interesting than two weeks at my castle."

Dan made a conflicted face, tapping at his hip.

"Well, I don't see why we can't bring him along." Hosuh said, smiling. 

Stephen snickered, already knowing that Dan wasn't going to be able to kick Jay out. 

Daniel dragged his hand across his face, sighing with a furrowed eyebrow. 

"Okay, okay, fine. Stephen, get Jay to the Inn. Tell Frank to not ask anything and to try keep guards out. Hosuh, you up?"

"Are you sure you can outrun them?" Hosuh asked, taking Dan's armor and sword and passing it to Stephen as Daniel took off his armor and he was only in civilian clothes. 

"I like to think I'm faster than you guys, it'll be fine." Dan reassured Hosuh, stretching. "Besides, if I get in a pinch, I'll climb the buildings and hop to the inn. Watch the window, alright Stephen?"

"I'll keep it unlocked." Stephen responded, strapping the sword to his hip. Jay looked to each of them, confused. 

"Okay. C'mon Hosuh."

Hosuh ran in front of Daniel, slowing to a steady walk. He strolled into the main street, swinging his bag of money onto his shoulder. 

He slowed his walk, observing Daniel who was walking slowly far away. The guards were uncomfortably close, but it seemed that they weren't recognizable yet. 

Hosuh nodded to himself, hoping that the plan would work alright.

Jay and Stephen watched from the corner of the alleyway. 

"What are they doing?" Jay asked, voice tinted with worry. 

"Plan numero 12."

"12?"

"We tend to get into a lot of trouble….you know when I said dungeons weren't a threat? We've broken out of plenty of those." Stephen informed, pulling his purple hood over his hair. 

Hosuh stopped at a fruit stall, and picked up an apple to observe it. He raised it all the way up to his eye, then pretended to fumble with it, dropping it onto the ground. 

The seller immediately yelled at him, and Hosuh responded.

"Oh I'm so sorry, I'll pay for it." He kneeled down to the ground to pick the apple up, then gave out a cough.

  
  


"There's the signal." Stephen said, grabbing Jay's sleeve. Jay stuttered out a question, but the pieces clicked together soon enough, because just as Housh grabbed the apple, Dan ran to him.

He pushed Hosuh over, gently, of course, but Hosuh still let out a yell to start a commotion. Snatching the bag from Hosuh, Dan dashed off into the crowd, not running as fast as he usually did. Hosuh immediately reacted, yelling and panicking appropriately. 

"My bag! Guards! GUARDS! Thief!" Hosuh yelled, pointing a finger at Daniel from the ground, who was sprinting away. The guards nearby immediately reacted.

"Don't worry, sir, we'll get him!" One of the guards said as they chased after Dan and they disappeared into the crowd.

Stephen pulled Jay along, walking briskly to the direction of the Inn, using the commotion as a cover. Hosuh waited till the commotion passed, then quickly followed. 

  
  
  


They got to the Inn without much trouble, they had to hide behind corners and strategically move in front of Jay a few times to keep their cover from being blown, but they eventually got there

They got in, and the Inn was empty, excluding Frank who was at his desk as usual. Frank looked up from a book he was reading, and raised an eyebrow at Jay, then looking to Stephen, who was walking past. 

They both looked exhausted, so that might have been why.

"The missing King is now a part of our group, guards keep trying to arrest us, and we're trying to get him out of the kingdom to have magical adventures!" Stephen said, the last part with sarcasm. He went up to the room with a disgruntled face. 

Frank's eyebrows just raised higher, and Hosuh took a moment to explain better. 

"The king is part of our group now, and we're trying to smuggle him out of the kingdom. Problem is, it's not exactly going to run….smoothly with the law."

"Figured." Frank said, smiling. "Well I wish you luck then. If any guards come by, I'll ask for Bob on your door."

"Thank you so much." 

"Its nothing."

"Hosuh, Jay! Cmon." Stephen popped from around the corner, sticking out his tongue. 

Hosuh went with a "coming!" And Jay followed, though not without Frank stopping him real quick.

"Well, your royal majesty, I suppose I should say thanks for visiting my little inn?"

"Uhg, please don't, I will pay you to not."

"Eh, give me a silver coin and I'll be satisfied."

"Deal." Jay said, grabbing a coin from his pocket and throwing it to the counter, walking up to the room.

Frank watched him go up, and picked up the coin, observing it for a moment, then storing it away in a drawer to remember the chaoticness of the four of them.

He went back to reading his book. 

  
  
  
  
  


They stayed in the room for a while, trying to find something to occupy themselves.

Stephen was pacing around, half out of boredom, but also because he was waiting for Daniel to arrive. 

Jay tried sleeping on the bed, but he couldn't get tired. 

Hosuh hummed to himself, watching Stephen pace, working on a sketch to pass the time. He looked to Jay, who was staring up at the ceiling, having given up at sleeping. 

Hosuh got up from his spot, sitting next to Jay. He called Stephen over and made him stay still, and went to drawing the two of them.

Stephen quipped about being a fantastic model, and Jay laughed. 

While it had occupied them for a while, they all noticed the sun was starting to set and Dan wasn't back. 

"What if he got caught?" Hosuh asked, nervousness creeping through his voice. 

"He seemed confident that he could get away. I'm sure he's fine." Jay said, trying to be comforting.

Eventually, they all curled up on the bed, falling asleep under the hope Daniel would come in during the night.

  
  


Stephen sharply woke up to tapping on the window. He sat up and looked to Jay and Hosuh snoring away on the bed. He noted that they could've used the other bed too instead of all of them piling onto one. 

He shot out of bed, looking through the window, already unlocking the clasp before he saw who was there. 

Daniel tapped and grinned on the other side of the glass. Stephen pushed the window up, stepping to the side to see Daniel literally fall in. 

Stpehen shut the window behind him, with the curtains as well to keep the light coming from their room going out.

Hosuh woke up, sitting up and looking ecstatic to see Dan. He rushed out of the bed, waking up Jay, who let out a weird cheer at seeing Dan, then dropped back into the sheets face first. 

"Was it difficult to get away?" Hosuh asked, helping Dan to his feet. Daniel limped to the bed, falling on top. 

"I was running for a  _ long  _ time. I got cornered in alleyway, but I was able to climb a house and slide along the roof." Daniel said, wincing as he pulled off his shoes.

"Yeah, well, the guards are well trained. I wanted this kingdom to be nice and safe, so I gave them a strict training routine. " Jay rang out from the sheets. 

"Ah, so that's why they were able to chase after me for so goddamn long." Daniel said, grinning. 

"Where are you hurt?" Housh asked, staff in hand.

"I think it's my ankle...I landed badly on a jump."

As Hosuh worked on healing Daniel, Jay got up from the bed, hair mussed.

"So, what exactly is supposed to happen now? The kingdom is just going to get more and more thorough with their search for me, I don't think walking through the front gates is a possibility anymore."

"I mean, we could still try that." Stephen shrugged.

"No, we are not doing that." Dan said, face blank.

Hosuh spoke up from where he was healing Dan. "We could hide out until the initial effort goes out."

"I'm not sitting in this darn kingdom more than I have to. I'm so going to the fire pub when this is over." Stephen said, crossing his arms.

"Fire pub?" Jay asked.

"Yeah. It's a little pub-" Stephen was cut off by a sharp knock at the door.

They all froze, eyes wide.

"Uh, Bob? The royal guards want to speak with you. Mind coming outside?" Frank's voice came through the door, sounding stressed. 

"Shit." Dan swore, pulling on his boots. "Hosuh, barricade the-"

"Got it!" Hosuh said, and he pulled the bed to the door, blocking it. Jay rushed over to help him push it into place.

"Okay, so the door is blocked. Now where are we supposed to run?!" Jay whispered, waving his hands around. 

"Uh," Dan looked around, then made a decision. "Okay, everyone on the roof!"

"What?!" Jay screamed.

"Works for me!" Stephen said, pulling the window open and hopping outside. Jay ran and followed and Dan climbed up, pulling Hosuh along.

They stood on the roof, Hosuh holding onto Dan for dear life. The wind was chilly, seeing as it was night.

"Smart plan, Daniel. Now what!?" Jay said.

"Come on!" Daniel said, running along the slanted roof, holding onto Hosuh to make sure he didn't fall. 

"Up there! Look!" Jay looked down at the ground and saw a group of guards watching from below.

They ran along, jumping to another roof. Jay slid across the tile, grabbing onto Stephen to not fall. 

He watched as guards followed them from below. 

He stopped running, pausing and thinking, weighing his choices. They were after him here. He was the missing King, the others didn't deserve to be arrested just because Jay decided to hang out with them.

"Jay, what are you doing?!" Stephen asked, looking at Jay. Hosuh and Daniel had also stopped, looking at Jay with worried faces.

Jay frowned, making his choice. "Okay, guys, listen."

"No. No, Jay, don't you-" Daniel stepped up to him, already knowing what he was trying to do.

"They're after me here, Dan. Come on, you guys can leave-"

"What!?" Stephen yelled, staring at Jay. 

" _ Go.  _ I'm telling you to run. You know that we aren't going to get far."

" _ Jay-" _

"We can't just go! Daniel, we're not leaving him, right?" Hosuh asked, looking at Dan. 

"You said you wanted to get out of the kingdom, not go back." Daniel said.

"I have plenty of time to get out of the kingdom. You guys have probably a couple minutes to avoid getting arrested." Jay responded, putting his hood down. 

Daniel looked at him with a torn face, Stephen swore, throwing his hands up and yelling about how they didn't have time for this.

Daniel shook his head, his face determined again. "Alright, we'll go, but on one condition."

"Make it snappy, Dan, you're going to get arrested."

"We come back for you later on tonight."

Jay stared at him, eye twitching. "Do you  _ want  _ to end up in the dungeons?"

"Deal or no deal?! We do not have time for this!" Stephen yelled.

"Okay, fine!" Jay said, stumbling as Hosuh ran forward and hugged him goodbye. Daniel grabbed Hosuh and turned to go, but before he did, Jay stopped him.

"Tallest tower, that's my room."

"Noted. See you later."

"Let's go, the guards are getting up!" Stephen yelled, and they ran off, trying to not get arrested for the third time that month. 

Stephen waved goodbye as they jumped to another roof.

Jay stood in the cold of the night, snorting at the ridiculousness of the three of them.

The guards approached no more than a minute later. 

  
  
  
  
  
  


When he was eventually dragged back to the castle, he got an earful from his royal advisor. He then decided he was  _ really  _ not wanting to listen to a lecture of his and upped the waterworks.

Tearful eyes and a sorry tone made the man falter and just send him up to his room.

Jay flipped him off from behind his door as soon as he was inside.

  
  
  


So here he was, lying on his bed, sighing. He opened up his bag and looked at what he had gotten from the market.

A small, bright red egg that he thought looked cool and was able to buy by snatching a few coins from Dan when he wasn't looking. He observed it for a moment, enjoying the way it shone in the candle light of his room. 

A small yellow dagger that he got from Stephen, after he showed the knife he had to Stephen, Stephen pulled out a knife from his sleeve and gave it to Jay, saying something about how he didnt like the color.

A pear that Housh lended him in case he got hungry, and a small book that Dan had gotten for him at the market.

He munched on the pear and sat reading the book to pass the time. Only 30 minutes into reading, he heard a knock. 

At first he looked to the door, eyes wide and hiding his dagger in his bag.

But then there was another knock and he realized it wasn't coming from the door at all.

He his pear down, running to the window, throwing it open and holding back a yell as he saw Daniel hanging precariously on the side of his window.

"Hey man, what's up?" Dan said, acting as if being a hundred feet off the ground was a casual thing.

  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is longer than usual, which is not bad thing really. I'm just surprised I finished this instead of going to sleep. I'd like to thank my spodify playlist that keeps me going while writing these chapters,,, haha


	6. A wedding, but on fire

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IM A DAY LATE IM SO SORRY usually I post once a week and it's always at the end of the week too so whoops-
> 
> I pulled an allnighter to get the writing down, but it took a lot of time to post it because EDITING. either way, I think the chapter is rather okay and I'm going to try posting twice this week as an apology
> 
> Also I'm about to pass 100 kudos should I like celebrate or something? Bake cupcakes?

"Hey man, what's up?" 

"You, apparently." Jay stuttered out, staring at Dan. He leaned his head out the window and saw Stephen and Hosuh standing on the roof below. Hosuh gave a wave, smiling.

"How the fuck did you get up here?" Jay said, waving back at Hosuh.

Daniel readjusted his grip on the window ledge. "Er, long story short, I'm pretty good at climbing."

"Why."

"Okay so, Stephen got cursed by an elf, I had to climb this really big mountain to get to said elf, and we got the curse to go away."

"What happened to the elf?"

"Not the point." Daniel looked back down to the other two below. Stephen was sitting next to where Hosuh was standing. He flipped Dan off from below. Dan felt tempted to throw something at him from where he was. 

Daniel looked back to Jay, continuing his sentence. "We thankfully didn't have to knock out any guards on the way here, although Stephen definitely wanted to a couple times…. but! we're undetected, for now. Although once the sun comes up, it'll probably be harder to get away, so we should leave now."

"Yeah, I can't do that." Jay said, stepping away from the window.

"Wait, what?" Daniel asked, climbing through the window after Jay, sitting on the ledge. "But you-" he paused, seeing the problem.

Jay stood in the middle of his room, arms crossed, an annoyed look on his face. On his right leg, around his ankle was a metal chain. It looked brand new, except for the marks on it that looked recent. Jay may have been kicking the wall multiple times in a fit of rage of trying to get the darn chain off. He will neither confirm nor deny such a claim.

"They basically chained me to my bed. I mean," Jay picked up his foot, swinging it around, the chains clinking together. "Its long enough for me to move around my room, but still pretty annoying."

"Yeah, that's an issue. Hm." Daniel scratched his head, thinking, then got an idea. He turned around on the ledge, leaning his head out. He gestured to Stephen to throw something, and Jay watched as Daniel nearly fell backwards as a knife suddenly was thrown from below, embedding itself into the ledge of the window, near Dan's head.

Daniel pulled it out, turning to Jay. "Tada! Now give me your leg."

"Wha- you're going to cut my leg off!?" Jay yelled, backing up. 

"No! Just the chain."

"Why do I not believe you."

"Cause you have trust issues. Now get over here!" Dan said, moving forward. Jay dodged him, grabbing a pillow and throwing it to his face. Daniel caught it, giving Jay a look™.

"No!" Jay yelled, looking frantically around to see if he could escape Dan.

Jay went into a fighting stance as Dan raised the knife. Stephen was standing on the roof below, wondering what Dan was doing with his knife, question marks practically floating around his head. 

"Come on, dude, this is all we got." Dan said, shrugging his shoulders.

"I really don't think a knife is going to cu-" Jay was cut off by a knock. 

Through the door came the voice of his royal advisor, Jerry. Jay immediately panicked, not that Jerry would get him into a lot of trouble, but he was very fickle about rules and all that. No Jay, you can't just leave the castle whenever. No Jay, we cannot have the peacocks for dinner, they are there to live in the gardens. No Jay, you can't just burn this shirt I gave you just because it's your least favorite color. (Jay will swear till the day he dies it was the most hideous shirt in existence.)

"My king? Are you awake?" His voice came through the door. 

"Uh, hold on! Give me a moment!" Jay responded, giving a shooing motion to Dan as he rushed to his bed to hide his things.

Daniel ran to the window and jumped out. Jay held back the urge to run over and check that Dan hadn't just lunged himself into a swan dive onto the roof tile below. 

Jerry came into the room, closing the door behind him. Jay sighed softly, not looking at him and leaning against the door.

"Sir."

"Hello, Jerry." Jay said, picking up the pillow he had thrown at Dan earlier. 

He looked at Jay with a disappointed expression. Jay still stubbornly refused to look at him. 

"Listen," His royal advisor gave out a long sigh. "I know you don't exactly want this, but-"

"UHHHHHHG." Jay groaned, jumping onto his bed and closing his eyes. The sight of the chain on his ankle made Jerry grimace. 

"My king-"

"Nope."

"Sir-"

"Uh-uh, I'm trying to sleep."

"Jay-"

"What, Jerry?" Jay said, snapping his eyes open and staring up at the ceiling. "I am trying to get beauty sleep."

"We have to talk about today."

Jay sighed, not responding and instead turning over in his bed.

His royal advisor huffed at Jay, walking away from the door. "What happened today can't happen again. I know you enjoy going out, being with the people, but you have responsibilities here. Whether you want to acknowledge them or not, you need to get up and rule."

"I don't want to be the king of this damn kingdom." Jay said, flopping his face into his pillow.

"Wha- You can't just not be the king!"

"Why not?"

"Why not- that's not a choice!"

"Oh, screw that." 

Jay wasn't looking at Jerry, but he was 98% sure that his left eye was twitching. 

Jerry sighed loudly, expressing his frustration. He walked over to the window. Jay froze up, hoping Dan wasn't in sight. 

"You're not seeing the big picture here. So, I'll make you realize and know what your responsibilities are." He paused, for dramatic effect. "I've moved your wedding to tomorrow."

Jay shot up from his bed. "You what?!"

"The king has agreed to the marriage of his daughter. It's a little bit of a short notice, but things will work out. It'll be at the garden tomorrow. I know you like the garden."

"I'm not getting married."

"Fantastic. Great input. But you are a king," he walked over to Jay, patting his head. Jay was tempted to bite his hand out of spite. "and you need to own your responsibilities. Now off to sleep. A big day tomorrow."

"You can't-" jay faltered, panicking, watching Jerry walk away. 

"I can and I will. I'm sorry to do this to you this way, Jay, I really am. But you need to just understand, okay? Behave tomorrow." 

"But I-"

"You should get to sleep, my king. " He finished, turning around and walking to the door. Just before he closed the door, he turned to Jay.

"You need this, you know." And he closed the door, leaving Jay wide eyed, sitting on his bed. 

He is so socking Jerry in the face when he finally gets out of here. 

He remembered about Dan and ran to the window. Looking down, he saw Daniel hanging onto the tower, using the knife as a grip.

"Marriage?" Dan whispered, more out of shock than anything.

"Yeah."

Daniel furrowed his eyebrows, looking down at Hosuh and Stephen on the roof, who were looking up with worried faces, wondering why Dan was still hanging off the side of the tower.

"Okay, here." Daniel reached into his pocket and pulled out some rope, rolling it out. "Tie this to something sturdy?"

"Sure."

A couple minutes later, Hosuh and Stephen were up in his room, poking around at his stuff. Dan whacked at Stephen's shoulder, he was looking through Jay's drawers.

"Uh, congrats?" Hosuh said, shrugging from on top of Jay's bed.

"Thanks. Although I definitely hate everything about this, the sentiment is appreciated." Jay responded, looking out the window.

"Don't worry, man. We'll figure something out." Daniel reassured Jay, trying to up his mood. 

"He really just told you that you were going to be forced to marry? Man, what a dick." Stephen said, pulling out a crown from Jay's drawer. 

He put it on, looking at himself in the mirror. "Maybe I'll just take your place! King Stephen! Bow before me!" Hosuh laughed at Stephen's ridiculous pose.

"No. No king Stephen, we have enough of regular Stephen." Dan said, tugging the crown off of Stephen's head, ignoring his pout. 

Daniel walked over to Jay with his crown in hand. "Things will turn out fine, Jay. By tomorrow, we'll be past the kingdom walls and out in the open fields. I know you'll like the forest nearby." 

"There's a forest?" Jay asked, turning away from the window. 

"Yup. And a lot more. Think about it! Adventures, fun, exploring! We'll be great. But first," Daniel put the crown on Jay's head. "We got to get past this. So," Dan turned towards Hosuh and Stephen.

"Here's the plan….."

Jay woke up to servants pulling him out of bed and tutting about his much of a mess his hair was 

He looked to his closet door where it was slightly open. Hosuh's eyes looked to him from the darkness of the closet. Jay knew that Stephen was probably grumbling behind him about not being able to look first while Dan was trying to silence them both so they wouldn't get caught. 

Jay was rushed through breakfast, wardrobe, and other particular things, like an hour long lecture from his royal advisor. Jay yawned 33 times throughout it, just to annoy him. 

The morning seemed to pass so quickly, yet took forever at the same time. The comforting thought that Jay was going to get out of here eventually kept him from being irritable, and Jerry looked happy that Jay was cooperating. 

Jay hoped that the other three wouldn't get caught running around the castle. He looked to the rose maze in the garden, thinking of how many times he walked through there out of boredom. He knew that maze like the back of his hand. 

They were having the wedding at the center of the garden. In front of the maze, next to the marble fountain. Unfortunately, his beloved peacocks were not allowed to be in the wedding, no matter how much he insisted. 

It would have been pretty funny though. 

But time passed, and the bride arrived at the castle. People started to flood in and sat at the seat, talking amongst themselves. 

Jay huffed from under the tree he was standing. The plan better work, or else he was going to throw the whole outrageously huge cake at the bride. 

Seriously, did they really need that much cake?

Eventually the time came and Jay was standing at the end of the altar, looking as pleasant and calm as anyone could be. He was yelling on the inside.

The music played, everyone stood up and the bride walked down the aisle. 

Jay didn't even know her name. Nor her face. Boy did he not care.

As the bride approached, he glanced around looking for his friends. He felt a spark of spite start up in him, and looked back to the bride. 

The spark turned into a small flame of annoyance, until it turned into a whole burning raging fire of "fuck this"

The preacher reached for the rings, and Jay was trying to keep himself from slapping the rings out of the priests hands. He clenched his hands and closed his eyes, trying to calm himself.

But as the ring was put on and he tried smiling at the bride, it didn't work.

Jay ripped off the ring, not even letting the priest finish his sentence about how they were so blessed on this wonderful day. He threw it into the crowd and saw it hit a dude in the face.

"Jay-" His royal advisor started, walking up to Jay.

"I want a divorce, fucker!" Jay yelled, mostly towards Jerry.

He then watched in surprise as his hands set on fire. Like, actual fire. The bride screamed and scrambled to get away as the flames grew. Jay held his hands out, eyes wide.

At the same time, an explosion rang out from the castle. He would've paid more attention to it, however Jay was occupied with the current problem with his HANDS. ON. FIRE. 

The crowd was yelling, scattering and getting away from him, but also staying very far away from the castle. The priest was nowhere to be seen. Who knows where the bride went. Jay's hands were still on fire for literally no logical reason. What the frick.

He waved his hands around, noting that his hands didn't burn at all. Well, this made no sense.

Meanwhile, while Jay was figuring out what was going on, the guards were trying to control the chaos of the mess that was supposed to be a wedding.

The captain of the guard called attention to himself, the Crest on his chest and his helmet shining.

"We need to take control of the situation! Everyone get to the entrance of the castle! This could be a distraction of some sort, make sure no one gets in!"

"But what about the king!?" One guard asked, his voice slightly muffled from his helmet. 

"You two, with me. We stay with the king! The rest keep the area secure!" The captain yelled, and the rest of the guards scattered, running to the castle door. 

Daniel took off his helmet as soon as the guards were far enough, throwing it to the ground. "Come on!" He said, running to Jay. 

"Aye aye captain." Stephen sarcastically saluted to Daniel, his armor clinking. Hosuh laughed from behind his helmet.

"Not the time, Stephen!"

Hosuh and Stephen pulled off their helmets, running after Daniel.

When they got to Jay, they stopped, staring in shock at Jay standing there calmly with his hands on fire. 

Hosuh hesitated but then immediately reacted. Daniel ran off to somewhere while Stephen ripped off the armor they needed for their disguise. 

Jay snapped out of his shock and yelped as Hosuh grabbed his shoulder. 

"Jay! You need to take deep breaths and calm down!" Hosuh said, Stephen looking anxious behind him.

"Calm down!? My hands are on fucking fire, Hosuh!"

"Okay, yeah, but-"

Another explosion rang out from the castle. 

"What the frick did you guys do to the castle?"

"No one is hurt! We did need a distraction." Hosuh said, throwing his hands up. 

Stephen pushed past Hosuh. "We don't have time for this! We need to get out of here!"

Jay turned to the rose garden, his vision focusing. He stalked to the maze, the crowd avoiding him and letting him pass. The flames on his hands grew even more and-

Then he set the gardens on fire. 

"Holy shi-" Jay was suddenly slapped across the face by Stephen. Who was looking very fed up.

"Snap out of it! Turn off the flames!"

"You think I know HOW?!" Jay screamed, looking to the growing fire on the rose bushes. A lightbulb lit up in his head.

"Try taking deep breaths!" Hosuh yelled, trying to be calm. 

"I doubt that'll do much, Hosuh!" Stephen said, backing away from the maze. The fire was spreading rapidly.

"The gardens aren't connected to any sort of building! We can run through the fire and use it as a cover!" Jay yelled, keeping his flaming hands away from Stephen.

"Getting you even more worked up is the worst thing right now!" Hosuh said, waving his hands around.

"What?" Jay kept his hands down, confused at Hosuh's sentence. 

Daniel came running from the chaos of where the aisle was, bucket in hand. One second, Jay was staring as him, the next, he was soaked.

At least his hands weren't on fire anymore.

"Are we using the fire as a cover?" Dan said, throwing the bucket to the side.

"Just follow me, okay?" Jay said, turning to the maze. He felt Hosuh grab onto his shirt and he glanced back to see all them gripping onto each other, trying to not trip into the dirt.

Going through the maze didn't take too long, Jay knew exactly where he was going and sometimes the fire had burned a shortcut for them to jump through. 

Although as calm as it seemed they were being, they were all screaming at the top of their lungs as they sprinted through the roses, fire licking at their heels.

They rounded to the back of the garden, which was made up of a huge brick wall.

"Now what?!" Hosuh said, his voice panicked, still holding onto Dan and Jay. 

"Over here!" Jay yelled, running to a bush near the wall. He pushed a few bushes to the side, showing the start of vines that grew all the way to the top.

"Okay, everyone up." Daniel said, giving a hand to Hosuh and propping him up. They climbed up the wall, reaching the very top.

They stood at the top of the wall, trying to not tip over.

On the other side was a steep drop down a cliff that lead to the buildings in the town. The drop didn't look very nice.

"Oh fuck." Daniel mumbled, looking down. 

Jay looked out to his kingdom. At least the view was nice here. He can see the plaza from here! How nice.

"Uh, Dan?" Hosuh asked, pointing towards a group of guards who were trying to make their way to the top of the wall where they were. 

"Uhm-"

"Everyone jump!" Stephen yelled out, leaning over the edge of the wall.

"What? Stephen-" Jay started.

"Are you sure you can-" Daniel said.

"JUST FUCKING JUMP!" Stephen screamed, effectively convincing the others.

Jay hesitated jumping over, not knowing what the plan was here. He didn't have time to think though, because Daniel grabbed both him and Hosuh by the arm and pulled them over the wall. 

Stephen jumped with them not a moment after, and Jay watched as they fell Daniel also tried to grab onto Stephen. 

Jay yelled as they fell, the edge of the wall growing farther as the wind cut past him and the ground came up to meet them.

He shut his eyes, not wanting to see them hit the ground.

Then suddenly they started slowing. 

Stephen's hands glowed a bright purple, and his face scrunched up as he concentrated. Daniel was trying to hold onto Stephen. 

They slowed more and more until when they hit the ground, they were placed onto the dirt below. Stephen landed on his feet, while everyone else fell roughly onto their sides.

The second they all touched ground, Daniel rushed towards Stephen and barely stopped him from hitting the ground. Stephen had collapsed as soon as his magic wore off.

Jay sat up and saw that Stephen had fainted from his use of magic.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things haven't really been properly explained about the whole magic bit (and that's my bad, my writing is chaotic) so-
> 
> Hosuh is a healer, so has healing magic. Overuse makes him sleepy. Healing is the only magic he knows for now but I might change that
> 
> Stephen is a necromancer, so of course he can raise the dead, but I also thought giving him telekinesis of a sort would be funny. But he can only use it very sparingly, and overuse results in him passing out.
> 
> Daniel is just a normal adventurer, he doesnt have any magic (although he is VERY good at climbing) maybe he'll figure out magic later, maybe not, who knows.
> 
> Jay THOUGHT he was a non magic user, but meeting the gang made him unlock some fire powers. Obviously it's going to be chaotic. Overuse burns his hands.
> 
> Oh, and shout out to SusieYurei who left a bookmark saying something along the lines of "best plot ever". Thanks Susie, that one really helped me finish the chapter.


	7. Not the best at planning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gotta love Danplan, bro.

"Oh shoot, Stephen!" Hosuh exclaimed, rushing over to kneel next to Dan, who had caught Stephen only moments before he was able to face plant into the ground.

Jay sat up from the ground, looking at Hosuh and Dan. Stephen was completely unconscious, half laying on top of Dan.

"Stephen? Stephen!" Dan turned Stephen over onto his back, shaking him. 

When that didn't work, he turned to Hosuh, saying,"Okay, Hosuh, step back, I'm going to slap him." He said, raising his arm.

"How is that going to help?!" Hosuh yelled, grabbing Dan's arm before he could slap Stephen. 

Jay groaned and face planted into the dirt, his crown toppling off his head and clinking onto the ground. He turned over onto his back, putting his arm over his eyes. 

Two days. In the past two days, Jay had done more eventful things than he had ever done in the past two years. Gosh, he was exhausted. He was ready to take a long, long nap. The second they were far, far away from this kingdom, he was so going to slip right into a coma just to recover from all this drama.

He was brought out of his thoughts by Hosuh poking him in the head with a stick. He raised his head to squint at Hosuh who was kneeling down next to him, stick still raised to poke him again. 

"Oh, you are awake." He said, picking up Jay's crown from the ground. 

"I'm good." Jay mumbled, sitting up. He grabbed the stick out of Hosuh's hand and poked him back in retaliation. Hosuh gasped like he was offended, and they both burst out in laughter. He feels like it was more shock than it actually being funny.

"Are you tired?" Hosuh asked, standing up with him. He placed Jay's crown on on Jay's head. Jay went ahead and adjusted on his head. Might as well wear it for fun. It's not like he'll wear it when he gets out of here. 

"Tired of this bullshit, maybe. But I can still move." Jay stretched his arms up, yawning. "Speaking of which, we should start moving."

"The whole kingdom is going to be on high alert right now." Dan said, standing up, carrying Stephen on his back. "It's going to be difficult to get out of the town without guards recognizing us."

"Maybe someone can help hide us?" Hosuh suggested, turning towards where the town was. 

"Who would want to hide three criminals who blew up the castle?" Jay said, raising his hands up to the castle, which currently had smoke coming from it.

"Hey,  _ four  _ criminals, you're a criminal now too." Dan said, readjusting his grip on unconscious Stephen. 

"Oh, I know I'm basically considered a criminal now. I was talking about Hosuh. Does he  _ look  _ like a wanted man to you?" Jay said, gesturing wildly towards Hosuh, who made a "huh?" at Jay's sentence. 

Dan snorted in response and walked forward, past Hosuh. "C'mon. The longer we're down here, the sooner they'll find us."

Jay and Hosuh followed. 

  
  
  
  


When they finally arrived at the town, they immediately noticed something was off. The entire place was quiet, and not a single person was in sight. The doors were closed shut and the windows were covered. The only sound in the town was the wind and the faint chimes from a wind chime hanging from a store nearby. 

"Where is everybody?" Hosuh murmured, turning his head to try and spot someone. Just a day earlier, they were walking through this street, buying food. He remembers the noise of the crowd and the sound of people.

It was a stark contrast from the eerie empty street they walked down. 

Jay observed a high window from below, looking at the curtains. He saw someone peek out, then immediately go back behind the curtains. He sighed and turned to Dan and Hosuh.

"I know what this is. It's a sort of curfew thing. I can't quite remember much, but I know that the last time this happened, it was because there was an assassin who tried killing me, but failed then ran away into the town."

"An assassin tried to  _ what _ ?" Daniel asked, raising an eyebrow at Jay.

Jay brushed off his question, walking to the plaza area, looking at the fountain. It had been turned off. The lack of water made it look strange. "Any citizens who are outside when curfew is set, they get arrested on sight. It's a way to get wanted criminals. And we are right out in the open-" Jay turned to Dan, panicking. "We need to hide, right now."

"I don't know who would open their doors for-" Daniel started, eyes widening. 

"What about the Inn? Frank?" Hosuh said, already stepping into the inn's direction. 

"If he hasn't been taken away for questioning yet, then sure." Jay responded, rushing over to the inn. 

Dan and Hosuh followed rapidly behind him.

Sure enough, the inn was closed up just like all the other buildings as well. Jay ran forward and banged on the closed door. He hoped that there weren't any guards nearby. 

"Hello!? Frank? Are you in there?! We need some help!" Jay yelled, raising his hand to knock on the door again.

Suddenly, the door swung open and he was pulled inside. Dan and Hosuh followed right behind him and the door was shut and locked as soon as they were in the building. 

Jay turned around to see Frank leaning against the door.

"Oh, Frank. Hey, listen, we really appreciate you-" Dan was cut off by Frank shushing him. Daniel pouted at being shushed. 

"Not now, kid. The guards have been making their rounds everywhere, and I'm sure they'll come back around here any minute now." Frank whispered, walking over to the window and looking out through the curtains to check for anybody coming. 

Jay looked around the inn and realized it was incredibly dark, the lights were all shut off. He felt unsettled. He tugged at Hosuh's sleeve. "We should hide." He whispered, nodding his head at Dan as well. 

Frank looked away from the window, turning to Jay. "Go under the reception desk over there. Keep that troublemaker from snoring, you hear?" He said, pointing at Stephen. 

"We'll be fine." Dan said, lowering Stephen and pulling him under the desk. Jay and Hosuh joined them, crawling under the table and staying silent. Hosuh pulled his knees to his chest, breathing in. Dan put a hand over Stephen's mouth in case he actually did start snoring. It was unlikely, but they weren't to take any chances. 

They heard Frank move around and pace the room, eventually sitting down on a chair by the window, seeming to wait for something.

Jay's heartbeat pounded in his ears, he knew that the chance of them getting caught at this point was very high. They were sitting ducks, hiding like this. This wasn't a very good situation. 

A sharp knock sounded through the room. Jay flinched and looked towards Dan and Hosuh with wide eyes. Hosuh pulled at his ponytail, anxious. 

They heard Frank stand up and open the door. 

"Hello." He greeted calmly to the person outside 

"Afternoon sir. Do you mind if I come inside for a moment?" An authoritative voice said. Jay closed his eyes, leaning his head back on the wood.

"I do mind, actually."

Jay froze, making a questioning face at Dan. Dan shrugged his shoulders and raised one of his hands as if saying "I've got no clue what he's doing."

"Erm." The guard at the door seemed to be thrown off.

"First, I have these goddamn wanted men in my inn. Then guards come knocking at my inn, tearing up one of my good rooms just to figure out where said criminals ran to. Now the curfew and even  _ more  _ guards at my door. So, say what you need to say then leave me alone, I need a nap."

"Sir, by the authority of the royal-"

"Yeah, yeah. Just get in."

Jay heard the footsteps of the guard and the door closing. They all froze as they heard a thump over their heads on the wood. 

"What do you need?" Frank said from above them. He seemed to have sat on the counter. 

"Just a few questions about the people who were staying in your inn earlier."

"Again?" 

Jay tuned out of the conversation, taking deep breaths and trying to calm his nerves. 

Stephen finally stirred, opening his eyes and jolting at the hand over his mouth. All three of them immediately put their fingers to their mouth, trying to keep Stephen from making any noise. 

Stephen ripped Dan's hand off his face and mouthed "what is going on".

Hosuh only put his finger to his mouth again, then handed Stephen an energy potion. Stephen drank it silently, giving a thumbs up.

Jay took another deep breath, trying to stay calm.

Then his right hand set on fire. 

He jumped at the sudden flames and backed up, trying to keep it away from the others. He hit the counter with the top of his head, making a loud thump.

The guard faltered in his interrogation with Frank. "What was that noise?"

"Oh, nothing."

"I don't think-" the guard was suddenly cut off and Jay heard the sound of him falling to the ground. 

Frank came around the counter and knelt down, immediately backing up at the sight of Jay's flaming hand. 

"Wha-get out from under there before you set the wood on fire!" 

Jay and the others scrambled to get out, Jay being careful to not touch anything.

"Okay, so I'm assuming that didn't go too well." Stephen said, brushing off dirt from his knees. He looked over to the unconscious guard on the ground. 

Dan sighed, rubbing at his face. "How can we get out of this now? The guards are literally everywhere and looking for Jay. Us too, I guess, but Jay is a missing King at the moment." Hosuh patted Dan on the back.

"May I suggest an idea?" Stephen asked, raising a hand. 

"Does it involve explosions."

"Perhaps."

"Then no."

"No, no. I think Stephen may be onto something." Jay interjected, waving his flaming hand around. 

"I don't like the direction this is going…" Hosuh said.

"Jay, Stephen,  _ no _ ." Daniel said, trying to keep them off a destructive train of thought. But it was too late, because the two were already planning their shenanigans.

  
  
  
  


About an hour later, the four of them were standing on top of a roof, the inn was on fire, and there were swarms of guards on the ground yelling and pointing their swords at them. 

"WHY DO WE KEEP GETTING INTO THESE SITUATIONS?!" Dan yelled, throwing his hands up.

"If it makes you feel any better Daniel, we haven't been in any dungeons  _ once  _ these last few days!" Stephen said, throwing a knife below, trying to keep the guards from getting up. 

"Should we start running?" Hosuh asked, looking down to the ground. Frank was kicking a guard in the face. He hopes that he doesn't get arrested. Although their presence alone was enough of a distraction to let Frank run. 

"Okay, so, the front gates are only a good five minutes from here if we start sprinting." Jay said, holding his arms out. Both his hands were covered in flames. "I say we run as fast as possible and hope for the best."

"That's an absolutely terrible plan." Stephen criticized.

"Shut up, let me see you get something better!"

"Oh, well-"

"Ok, no fighting! This is not the time!" Daniel yelled, dodging a rock thrown from below. "Everybody run like your life depends on it! Which they do!" With that said, he jumped to the nearby building, looking back to see the others follow. 

They hopped building to building, Jay watched as the guards below them followed, trying to get to them. Hosuh dug through this pockets as they ran, and pulled out a bottle. He opened it, stopping for a second. 

Jay's feet skidded across the ground and he stopped, trying to not run into him. "Hosuh, what the-" he was cut off by Hosuh splashing the potion onto him.

"There we go! Okay, keep running!"

Stephen laughed as he jumped to the next rooftop. Jay stuck his tongue out at Stephen, although he gave thanks to Hosuh as he noticed his fire lessened as they kept running. 

The guards were growing hectic below them, some of them throwing rocks to try and slow them down. Jay stumbled on a couple of his landings, but he did notice that none of the rocks were directed towards him. He felt a little annoyed at that. He watched as Stephen was hit in the back and fell to the ground. Jay dragged him to his feet and they kept running. 

"Look, the gates!" Hosuh yelled, pointing a finger towards the wooden gates, which were slowly being closed.

"Come on!" Dan yelled, jumping down a set of stairs and landing onto the dirt below with a roll.

The others followed him, although a bit less gracefully. 

They ran to the gates, Jay glancing back to see a crowd of angry guards behind them. He ran faster, swearing to himself. 

The gates were half closed when they got to it, the two guards were there trying to close it before they got there. Dan and Stephen sprinted up to them yelling and knocking both of them out with a punch. 

"It's still open, hurry, go through!" Dan said, pulling at the door. It didn't budge the slightest bit.

Hosuh squeezed through the opening, Stephen following right behind. Daniel pushed Jay through third and as Jay went out he turned to see the guards approaching rapidly behind Dan. 

"Nope!" Jay yelled, grabbing Dan and dragging him outside. 

He raised his hands and placed them onto the door, setting it on fire. He didn't take his hands off until the flames were as tall as him.Jay heard the loud commotion of the royal guards on the other side. He stepped back, the flames withering out on his hands. 

"Come on, let's not stick around!" Dan said, pulling him along. 

Jay stumbled along, realizing he was actually outside of the walls. It almost didn't feel real. He gripped Dan's arm, running with them.

They ran into the forest nearby, going through the trees. The branches and leaves hit their faces, but they kept running, trying to put distance between them and the kingdom. 

Jay looked up to the trees, breathing heavy. He went into a full on sprint, running ahead of the others. He felt like if he stopped running, he wouldn't be really free from the walls.

His foot caught on a root, and he harshly fell to the ground,rolling across the dirt, his crown nearly falling off. 

He groaned in pain as he pushed himself off the ground. 

He looked up and immediately fell back onto the ground as a knife was pointed right at his face. 

"Stop right there! You look rich. Your money, hand it over!" Jay stared at the pink haired women, flinching as the knife was thrusted forward, not hitting him, but the threat being made clear. 

"Wait!" Jay said, throwing his hands up. It wasn't even 10 minutes outside of the kingdom, how was he already getting mugged?

Jay heard Dan and the others run up behind him. 

"Jay! Are you okay?!" Daniel yelled, then noticed he was at the end of someone's knife. But he recognized that pink hair. 

"Ann! Wait, no, stop pointing a knife at him! He's with us." Daniel pushed Ann back, standing in front of Jay. Hosuh and Stephen stood behind him, Hosuh helping him up.

"Oh, Daniel! What's up?" Ann lowered her knife, leaning back on her heels. "Sorry bout that." She looked to each of them, noticing their ruffled appearance. 

"Why do you guys smell like smoke?"

Daniel gave a big exaggerated sigh, running a hand through his hair. "Kinda a long story."

Stephen snickered at Dan's exhausted expression. Jay leaned on Hosuh and sighed, looking to the trees.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since they are finally out of the kingdom, now the group can cause trouble WORLDWIDE. Adventureeee!


	8. Witches and wells

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OOOOHHHHHHHH holidays are a BITCH I missed like a whole two weeks. But, I am here again, and that's what matters. Enjoy le chapter. It is unedited and made at one am, but I think it's pretty alright

Jay tried to think back as far as he could but he could not for the life of him remember the last time he was allowed outside the walls. He had been in the kingdom for his entire life, and in the castle for the past couple months. (Although he had made attempts before to leave, darn the security)

Coming back to the moment at hand. Jay, Stephen, Hosuh and Dan were  _ finally  _ out of the kingdom. And, on top of that, none of them were dead! An added bonus. 

Ann tucked her knife away, smiling. She turned to Dan, placing her hands on her hips.

"Well, I've got time. If you guys want, we can head into this nearby kingdom and-"

"No!" All four of them yelled in unison, throwing Ann off her rhythm. 

"It would be in all our best interests to go the  _ opposite  _ direction of the kingdom, believe me." Jay said from where he was leaning on Hosuh. 

"What!? But I wanted to go and explore it!" Ann whined, looking towards Daniel for an explanation.

"Well, first of all, the front gate is currently on fire, so good luck with that." Stephen shrugged, waving a hand in the direction of the gate. 

"Okay, you know what, I can come back around here some other day, I don't want to deal with your guys' mess." Ann turned around, raising her hands. "Come on, I have a camp nearby here."

The others followed, with Ann leading the way. Jay walked at the end of the group, observing the forest around him. When was the last time he was even in a forest? He looked down, slowing his pace. The leaves crunched below his feet. Jay noticed a stray ladybug on the ground near his foot. He was tempted to poke it.

He was brought out of his thoughts by Dan grabbing his arm and pulling him along. 

"Nope. We  _ just  _ got you out of the kingdom. We are not going to lose you in the forest." Daniel said, pushing Jay in front of him. "Everyone walk in front of me, follow Ann." 

"Shut up, Daniel, I'll go at the pace I want to go!" Stephen said, stopping in place to annoy Dan. 

"I  _ will  _ drag you, Stephen." Daniel responded, grabbing Stephen's hood and pulling him along. 

Jay looked away from the two bickering to look at Ann and Hosuh. He walked up to Hosuh, who was filling in Ann on what had happened. 

"So we had to sneak into the castle and get onto the roof, so that way Daniel could climb up to Jay's room and get him out. But, we kinda weren't able to because-" Hosuh was saying, gesturing slightly with his hands.

"They chained me to my bed. Something about _'for_ _your safety_' and '_so you don't try making a rope out of your bedsheets and climbing out the window again for the fifth time_' they said." Jay held up his finger making quotation marks and talking in a high pitched voice. 

Ann and Hosun laughed at his voice. 

"Wait, Jay. You're actually a king? Like,  _ actual  _ royalty? Is that crown made of gold? Can I have it?" Ann said, half holding up a hand as if she was already about to grab it off his head. 

Jay smacked her raised hand, making a face. "Yes, yes, also yes, and no. You seem like the kind of person who would sell it."

"I wouldn't sell it! I would just keep it. Like a souvenir."

"Doubt."

Hosuh put a hand on Jay's shoulder, grabbing Ann's hand with his other hand, seeing as Ann was slowly raising her hand towards Jay's crown again. "The crown belongs to him, Ann. You can't just have it because you want it."

"Ah, poo, that's no fun." Ann whined, sticking out her tongue. She turned her back towards them, stretching her arms up and resting them on her head. "I guess you guys can stick with me for a while. You guys will obviously need my awesome thieving skills." She said, holding up her fist. 

"Are you sure it's not the other way around?" Daniel said from behind them. 

"What!? No! You guys totally need me and my supplies!"

"You ran out of money, didn't you."

"Maybe. But you have no proof of that!" Ann said, crouching and pointing a finger at Dan, who was smiling at her. 

Jay heard Hosuh barely contain a laugh at their conversation. 

Stephen snuck up behind Jay and swiped his crown off his head, dashing forward and placing it on his own head. Jay barely protested, choosing to glare at Stephen instead of trying to grab it back. Stephen stuck his tongue at him, the crowd tilted on his head. 

"Hey, Stephen, you can't just steal his crown!" Hosuh exclaimed, making a move to grab it. 

Stephen dodged out of the way, grinning. "Why not? It's not like he needs it anymore. I look great with it anyway!"

"But he's still royalty! It's the  _ respect _ !" Hosuh raised his hands, pinching his fingers together. 

"Are you saying I don't look great in a crown, Hos?"

"I did not-"

"Wounded! I'm in pain! How could you  _ insult  _ me like this!?" Stephen wailed out, dramatically leaning back, the crown nearly slipping off his head.

Hosuh and Jay both snorted at Stephen's antics.

Dan walked up and snatched the crown off his head, hitting Stephen's head with it. Stephen squawked at being hit.

"Rude! I will sue you for assault, Dan!"

Instead of going the logical route and  _ not  _ quipping back, Dan took the bait and stepped back, pointing a finger at Stephen, crown still in his hand. "Go ahead! I know the law!"

"Doesn't seem like it!"

"Are you accusing me of being a criminal?"

"No, I'm calling you dumb." Stephen crouched down, going into a fighting stance. 

"Look in a mirror!" Dan threw the crown to Hosuh, just as Stephen yelled and tackled Dan to the ground. 

Jay stared at the two fighting on the ground, glancing at Hosuh, who kept walking. 

"Are they wrestling again?" Ann said up ahead from where she was walking, looking back. 

"Yeah, they are." Hosuh asked, giving the crown to Jay. 

"Five silver coins on Dan!" 

"You don't even have any money!" Dan yelled out from where he was trying to pin Stephen. He dodged to the left, rolling onto the dirt as Stephen kicked at him. 

"Nope, but I'll get some money in a bit!" Ann said, pushing a branch to the side. "Oh hey, we're here. Wait a minute, wha..." Ann stopped, eyes widening. 

Hosuh and Jay walked up behind her, taking a look at what made her falter. Jay heard Hosuh gasp at the sight of Ann's camp.

Everything was wrecked. There was a tent that looked to be half burnt and ripped. There were cans and stuff thrown across the ground. They walked forward, taking in the damage. Jay's foot stepped on something, making him jump back. He raised his boot to find a small round red thing. Almost looked like a ball. He picked it up, looking towards Ann. 

"But I  _ just  _ left here! Who would do this!? All my stuff!" Ann yelled, throwing things left and right to see what was salvageable. 

"Well, it doesn't look  _ that  _ bad. They didn't really take too much, I think." Hosuh said, holding up a dirtied bag. He gave it to Ann who opened it up and squealed, hugging the bag.

"Good! All my trinkets and important stuff was untouched! I think they just mostly took my food and stuff." Ann said, looking through the bag Hosuh gave her. 

"See? It's not that bad."

"Wait a minute, one of my things are missing!" Ann exclaimed, rummaging through the bad. 

"Which one?" 

"It's like a red ball, kinda glowy-"

"This one?" Jay said, holding up the little red ball he almost stepped on. 

"You  _ still _ have that?!" Hosuh yelled, stepping back. 

"What?" Jay said, looking at Hosuh.

"Well, duh! Why would I just throw it away? It still controls the reindeers, you know. Although they only ever show up around Christmas, though…"

Jay threw to Ann, who put it in her bag. He wisely chose to not ask about it. 

Stephen ran up from the trees, panting. He had a leaf in his hair. "I won!" He yelled, throwing his arms up. 

"No you didn't, you liar!" Dan yelled, stalking up behind him.

"Daniel is just being a sore loser, I won. Definitely." Stephen said, catching his breath.

"Sure you did, Stephen." Hosuh said, looking at Jay with a knowing look.

"Oh man, what happened here?" Dan asked, noticing the mess of the camp. 

"I don't know! Bandits, or something! Everything all wrecked!" Ann groaned, walking up to the ripped tent. "I might have a map here somewhere." She kneeled down, going through the remains.

Jay went up to her to help out. 

Hosuh and Stephen stood behind them, taking in their surroundings. 

"Do you have any idea who did this?" Hosuh asked, poking at a can on the ground with his foot.

"No. And I  _ just _ left here like half an hour ago too!" Ann said, huffing when she couldn't find the map. She went to grab her bag, and found it to be missing.

"Wha-where's my bag?!"

Jay looked around, seeing nothing. "Didn't you have it?"

"I did! It was right next to me!"

"Did you misplace it?" Stephen asked, crossing his arms. 

"Nooo, someone took it!" Ann set her sight on Jay, who immediately started to sweat at Ann glaring at him. "You! You're being suspicious, you must have stolen my bag!"

"What!?" Jay exclaimed, standing up. 

"Uh, Guys?" Hosuh asked, looking around. He went unheard.

"Why the  _ hell  _ would I steal something from you? I mean, you mugged  _ me  _ just earlier!" Jay defended himself, gesturing wildly.

"Because maybe you're actually evil! Maybe you're actually a bad guy who's trying to get all of us in our sleep!" Ann pointed an accusing finger at him.

"Guys, hey-" Hosuh was ignored again.

"I'm not evil. If anything, I'm morally ambiguous."

"Isn't that close enough?" Stephen said, looking bored. 

"You aren't helping my case here." Jay frowned.

"HEY!" Hosuh yelled. Everyone jumped, immediately paying attention to him. "Jay is a really good guy, okay? He hasn't done anything bad, at least not to us. But that isnt really important right now because-"

Jay realized Daniel wasn't with them. Immediately he was put on guard, he looked around, the only green thing being the leaves on the trees. 

"Goddamnit, we lost Daniel again." Stephen said, looking around to the trees around him, straining his ears to try and hear Dan if he had maybe wandered off anywhere. 

"Again?!" Jay exclaimed, walking around. 

"Hey, hey, everybody shush." Ann said, holding a finger up to her mouth. 

Jay squinted at the trees, tilting his head, trying to hear what Ann was pointing out. 

He faintly heard someone screaming about 'goddamn witches' 

"That's a Dan! Let's go!" Stephen said, running to where they heard Dan. The others followed, making sure to keep up. 

They ran until they got to a small clearing in the woods with a well. They ran up to the well, Ann swearing as they saw Dan hanging from the edge. 

Stephen grabbed onto Dan, trying to pull him up, but he couldn't get him up. If anything, he fell more into the well.

"Dan! Are you okay?" Hosuh yelled down the well, leaning over the edge.

"Yeah! I mean, I'm moments away from falling into the bottom of a well, but other than that I'm doing great!"

Stephen struggled with pulling Dan, resorting to just holding him in place, trying to keep a grip on his arm. "You don't just jump into random wells, Daniel! Common sense!" Stephen yelled, glaring at Dan who was hanging from one arm.

"I didn't jump in! Someone grabbed me and threw me in!" Dan kicked at the walls of the well, trying to climb up. "I think there's a curse on it or something! It feels like something is trying to pull me down!"

"Uh, maybe we can break it?" Ann asked, looking up from the well to look at Hosuh. 

"The well, or the curse?" Jay asked, raising a eyebrow. 

"I mean, both work."

"You won't be doing any of that!" A voice rang out.

They turned around to see two people standing behind them. One of them had a witch hat on, the other was holding Ann's bag.

"My bag!" Ann exclaimed, almost running forward to attack the two strangers. Jay grabbed Ann, keeping her from committing murder. 

Hosuh tugged at Jay's shirt, he was kneeling down on the ground, the strangers didn't see him. "Jay, distract them for a moment."

Jay nodded, letting go of Ann, who was glaring at the witches. Jay was half convinced that she was going to make the two strangers explode with her glare alone. 

"You will give us all your loot! All your money! Anything of value! Or else your green haired friend will fall into the well!" The witch yelled, raising a hand. 

"That's a stupid idea!" Stephen yelled from where he was holding onto Dan. 

"Wha- You will listen to us-"

"You guys suck!" Jay yelled, cupping his hands over his mouth. 

"Don't you dare mock us-"

"You should go fall in a ditch, you, you, you  _ meanies _ !" Ann exclaimed, crouching down and sticking out her tongue. 

"You little-"

"Your hats look dumb!" Jay yelled, noticing Hosuh slowly making his way behind the two witches. 

"Yeah, super dumb! You look like idiots!" Ann yelled, throwing a rock at their feet.

"Our hats are perfectly fine in the sense of fashi- AHHH!!!" The first one started yelling as a potion was thrown from Hosuh and the end of their robe was set on fire. 

"Ha!" Stephen laughed, smiling at Hosuh who looked to be slightly regretting setting a person on fire. 

Ann yelled out a battle cry, running up to the witch who had her bag and tackling them to the ground. 

Jay went to apprehend the witch who was rolling on the ground, robe still on fire, but stopped at Stephen grunting as Dan slipped farther.

"Dammit! Get the curse off, hurry, I can't hold on to him forever!" Stephen yelled, trying to pull again. Dan barely moved up.

Jay walked up to the witch on the ground, looking down at them. Ann walked up behind her, bag acquired and witch knocked out on the floor. Hosuh stood by Jay's other side. 

They stood over the witch, who's robe finally stopped burning, and the witch finally took notice of the three annoyed people standing above them. 

"Uhhhhh…." The witch trailed off, eyes wide. 

Jay held up a hand, fire flickering on. He it held near the witch's face, tapping his foot impatiently. 

They got Dan out from the well about five minutes later. 

Stephen threw both witches down the well, and Ann stole a hat from one of them. 

They walked through the forest after, Dan in the middle of the group this time. 

"I didn't  _ wander  _ off Stephen! I was practically dragged."

"How unfortunate." Stephen said, his voice full of sarcasm. 

"Well, at least we got something good out of this!" Ann said, pulling at her newly acquired hat. 

" _ You _ did, I had to use a potion. That one was my last fire potion. Now we don't have fire." Hosuh said, frowning. 

"I have fire hands, Hosuh."Jay said from the end of the group.

"Which you still don't even know how to properly control."

"I can control it!"

"Oh yeah, try turning it on right now!" Dan said, looking back to Jay. 

Jay held up his hands, trying to summon fire. Nothing. Stephen laughed, then yelped as Jay threw his crown at him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yalls comments give me LIFE I swear, also did anyone catch the Christmas RPG reference? That was a funny vid.


	9. Catching lizards

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gosh I took a while on this chapter. But I think this is my favorite out of all of them.

The group walked through the forest, only stopping twice, once because Hosuh tripped over a root and everyone started yelling in concern, and another time because a bird tried to steal Ann's bread and everyone witnessed Ann fight a bird.

Jay has no clue where she even got the bread, but he wasn't going to be asking for some anytime soon, seeing as she was grasping it in her hands like she would lay down her life for it after successfully fending off the bird.

After a while and a lot of "Are we there yet?" "No." They finally arrived at the edge of the forest. 

"Alright," Dan announced, placing his hands on his hips. "I think this is good enough. We can set up camp here." 

Stephen groaned as he limped forward, flopping onto the grass on the ground. Jay sat down next to him, poking his head. Stephen groaned again as a response that he was not passed out.

Hosuh and Dan started to build a fort out of leaves and sticks, so they could have a place to sleep. Ann was crouching down by a tree nearby, seeming to be staring at something.

Jay opened his mouth, about to ask what Ann was doing, but was startled as Stephen suddenly yelled and jumped up from the ground. 

"Oh my gosh!" Stephen exclaimed, peering down at the grass.

"What? What did you do!?" Daniel yelled from where he was helping Hosuh pick up a particularly large log. 

"Shush Daniel, I'm innocent." Stephen responded, patting his hands against the ground, looking for something. 

"I GOT ONE!" Ann yelled from where she was, running up to Dan and Hosuh, her hands cupped together. Jay got up and ran to then, wanting to see what she got. Stephen stayed on the ground, still looking through the grass. 

"What is it?" Hosuh asked, staring at Ann's cupped hands. She raised it to their faces, opening up her hands to reveal….a lizard.

"Gah!" Daniel jumped back at the sight of a little lizard blinking at him from Ann's hands. 

"Aaaann! I can't catch one!" Stephen whined from where he was. He patted the ground once more, huffing as he missed another lizard. 

"Oh! Oh! You have to sneak up on them!" Ann exclaimed, running to Stephen. Daniel sighed at seeing the two of them play with lizards instead of being productive. 

"Wanna help us build the base, Jay?" Hosuh asked, holding up a stick. 

"Hmmm," Jay tilted his head, thinking. He kinda wanted to catch lizards. 

"You can catch lizards later. They'll still be there at night. Now come help me lift this log." Daniel said, pulling at one side of a log. 

"Sure." 

An hour later, with the teamwork of Hosuh, Dan, and Jay, and the helpful commentary from Stephen and Ann, ("Hey Dan, this lizard looks like you!" "That's nice, Stephen-NO DON'T  _ THROW  _ IT AT ME-) they got a little shack made, with makeshift beds made out of leaves inside. Hosuh cleared out a spot outside and placed rocks around it to make a place for a fire. 

The sun started to go down, and Jay decided that it was a good time as any to try and start a fire. 

He and Hosuh were kneeling by the fireplace, Ann was rummaging through her things in the fort, sitting crisscross on the makeshift beds, Dan and Stephen were sitting nearby and watching Jay and Hosuh work on making a fire. Stephen kept trying to place a lizard on Dan's head. Dan looked like he was three seconds away from throwing Stephen. 

Jay looked back to the fireplace, holding out his hand to the logs they placed there. Hosuh was trying to give him tips on using magic.

"Okay, so the last thing we want to do is burn the forest down, so try to take deep breaths and make a small fire." 

Jay breathed in, trying to summon fire again. He groaned in frustration as nothing happened. "This is annoying."

"It's okay! You'll get the hang of it! You have to keep in mind you literally only discovered your magic a day ago." Hosuh said reassuringly, holding up a hand.

"Can I help?!" Stephen yelled from where he was sitting next to Dan. 

"Uh," Jay looked at Hosuh, who shrugged in response. "Sure?"

Stephen cleared his throat, holding his lizard in one hand. He paused for dramatic effect, then said, "You suck."

"Oh, fuck you Stephen." Jay responded, watching as the logs set on fire. He took his hand off the log, still on fire, then set his sights on Stephen. 

Stephen immediately started running, throwing his lizard to Hosuh, who was trying to yell at Jay to not set a bush on fire. Or Stephen, he added as an afterthought. 

  
  


Jay didn't burn Stephen, unfortunately, Dan stopped them before anything got too messy. They sat around the fire, Hosuh holding a lizard. 

Ann jumped out from the fort, yelling for Jay. 

"What?!" Jay asked, getting up from the fire.

"I've looked through my many items, and I think I found the perfect outfit for you!" 

"What's wrong with my current outfit?"

"Jay, you're literally just wearing your wedding suit, which is scorched, by the way, with a cloak over it." Hosuh said, getting up to join them by the fort.

"I think it's pretty fashionable." Jay said, pulling at his shirt. 

"Nope!" Ann said, pushing Jay into the fort. "Now go change into that!"

Jay obliged, noting that his suit  _ was,  _ in fact, covered in burn marks.

He changed into the clothes Ann left out, looking down at himself. It was more or less a vest but with a cloak over it. Jay shrugged to himself, pulling on his boots. He looked at his crown, holding it in his hands. After a moment of thinking, he went and placed it in Ann's bag. 

"Can we see you now?!" Ann asked from outside.

Jay walked outside, tugging at his hair. Ann nodded to herself, seeming satisfied. Hosuh gave a supportive thumbs up. 

"Wait!" Ann yelled, running up to Jay. "Where is your crown?!"

"Oh, I took it off. I don't really need it anymore, so-"

"But the crown! Don't you want to look all important and rich?!" 

"No, not particularly." Jay responded, shrugging. 

"Wouldn't a crown be kinda impractical, anyway?" Hosuh asked, tapping a finger against his chin.

"In that case," Ann dug through her pockets, pulling out a single earring with a purple gem at the end. "You can wear this! I stole it from a rich dude at the market."

"My ears aren't pierced, Ann."

Ann dug through her pockets once more, pulling out a needle. 

Stephen suddenly appeared behind him, grabbing his arms. "I call doing the piercing!"

"What!? No!" Jay protested, kicking his legs. "I'm not letting you near me with a sharp object!"

"It's a needle, Jay." 

"And it'll be in your hands."

"Point." 

"I can do it?" Hosuh suggested, grabbing the needle from Ann's hand. Stephen pulled Jay over to the fire, Jay dragging his feet purposely.

After a lot of grabbing and yelling and Jay kicking Stephen at one point, eventually Jay's ear was pierced without much pain, thanks to Hosuh's healing. 

Dan carefully put the earring in, Jay staring at the roaring fire as he put it on. It was nearly night now, and the sun was barely peeking over the horizon. 

"Okay, there!" Dan leaned back, gesturing. Ann clapped as Jay swung his head, the earring jangling.

"Now that that's done," Dan got up from where he was sitting, grabbing something from the fort. "I wanted to give this back to you."

He gave Jay his bag, which has all his stuff from when they went out shopping. "Oh, nice." He pulled out the things one by one, a book, a half eaten pear, his knife which he stashed away into his pocket, and finally a red egg.

Dan stared at him, eyes wide. "What is that?"

The rest of the group now had their attention on Jay, who held up the egg, observing it.

"I don't really know actually. Chicken egg?" Jay smiled, obviously knowing it wasn't a chicken egg. It was much too big for that. Honestly, Jay had bought it because it looked nice, but he had no clue what it was. 

Stephen suddenly stood up, throwing his hands up. "Wha-how come  _ he  _ can get a dragon egg but I can't!?"

"He has a dragon egg?!" Ann yelled, moving forward to look at it more closely.

"When did you buy that?!" Hosuh exclaimed, grabbing Ann's hand as she tried to hold a hand out to the egg. 

"Back the markets, when we were going through the shops? I thought it looked nice, so I bought it."

Dan gently took it from Jay's hands. "Ooookay, you are no longer allowed to buy things on your own." 

Stephen ran to Dan, jumping over the fire. "Can we keep it?! I want a dragon, Dan."

"I want a dragon too! Can we keep it Dan?" Anne yelled, agreeing with Stephen. 

"I kinda want a dragon too, actually." Jay said, leaning back on his hands.

"Quick, Hosuh!" Stephen grabbed Hosuh, dragging him to in front of Dan. "Use your puppy eyes!" 

Dan placed a hand on Stephen's forehead, trying to calm him down. "Okay, okay! We can keep it! No puppy eyes, please!"

"Yes!" Stephen laughed, high fiving Ann, who looked just as ecstatic. 

  
  


Later on in the night, they all huddled up in the fort on their beds made of leaves, the dragon egg sitting on the smoldering fire outside. 

Dan sighed softly to himself, trying to remember if a dragon was illegal or legal in certain kingdoms. He felt something fall on him, then start crawling down his arm. 

"STEPHEN!" Dan yelled, grabbing the lizard and holding in his hand, turning to see Jay and Stephen snickering quietly. 

Dan rolled his eyes, leaning back down and giving the lizard to Ann, who was half asleep and gently held the lizard as she drifted off to sleep. 

"Go to sleep, you two." Dan scolded, looking at Hosuh who was reading a book quietly, a lizard resting on his shoulder. "You too, Hosuh."

"Darn."

Dan laid down, hearing the others make themselves comfortable and eventually sleep. He didn't drift off until he heard the soft snoring of everyone in the fort. As he fell asleep, he felt a lizard climb onto his cheek. He didn't bother taking it off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stephen named his lizard Daniel. (Just to annoy Daniel)


	10. Anything is legal as long as you don't get caught!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man, I love writing moment of pure chaos.

Jay wakes up to a lizard resting on his forehead and the warmth of the sun on his cheek. He lays there for a moment, slowly waking up and taking in his surroundings. He notes that he has a blanket laid over him, which is strange because he didn't go to sleep with one. 

He reaches up to the lizard on his head, gently placing it beside him as he sits up. It scurries away as soon as he puts it down. He looks around the makeshift house they had made the day prior and finds that he's the only one inside. Was he the last to wake up? 

He tugs the blanket off him, grabbing his cape and securing it over his shoulders. 

Crawling out of the fort, he's immediately greeted with a knife flying past his face, hitting a tree nearby. 

"STEPHEN!" Daniel yelled, walking out from the trees, logs in hand. 

"My bad!" Stephen laughed, running past Jay to yank the knife out of the tree. 

"Morning Jay!" Hosuh greeted, him and Ann kneeling by the fire. Jay walked up to them, noticing that there was actual food cooking over the flaming fire.

"Good morning. What's that?" Jay asked, gesturing towards what looked to be meat cooking over the fire.

"It's bacon! We don't have anything else, so I hope you like only bacon for breakfast!" Ann said, smiling. 

Dan came by with some logs, placing them in the fire. "Hey Jay. Did you sleep alright?"

"Yeah, woke up with a lizard on my face, other than that, not much else." Jay responded, shrugging to Dan. 

"Aw dangit! Dan!" Stephen yelled from afar, seeming unhappy. 

"What did you do?" Dan asked, walking over to Stephen, who was glaring up at the tree branches. 

"My knife is stuck up there." Stephen pointed up to the branches, taking a moment to look at his lizard on his shoulder and pat it on the head. 

Daniel sighed, spotting the knife Stephen was pointing at. "Isnt that the one you just bought?" He asked, already climbing up the tree to retrieve the purple dagger. 

"I was testing it."

"Uh huh." Dan responded, making his way up the tree.

"So Jay." Hosuh said as Jay looked away from Dan begrudgingly climbing the tree. "Me and Ann were walking around earlier and-"

"We found a village nearby!" Ann cut off Hosuh, clapping her hands together. "So, obviously we're going to go check it out, but you and Dan are going to stay here." Ann said, poking at the bacon cooking over the fire. 

"Sorry, what's this? Me and Jay are staying here while you three go off and cause chaos? Why would I allow that?" Dan questioned, walking up to them, Stephen behind him, fiddling with a knife in his hands. 

"Because you trust us to behave and we will do really good, and come back with tons and tons of gold and food and money-" Ann gestured wildly, standing up from where she was kneeling next to the fire.

"And let me guess, the tons and tons of gold will be from Stephen mugging village people." 

"Uhhhhm." Ann faltered.

"It'll be fine Dan. You and Jay stay here and keep watch over the base. We'll be good." Hosuh reassured Dan, giving a thumbs up. 

"That's not really-"

Stephen rounded around Hosuh, grabbing a piece of bacon. "Quick, Jay! Plan number 84!" 

Jay immediately went and tackled Daniel to the ground as Ann, Stephen, and Hosuh (who was the only one who seemed slightly sorry) sprinted away, seemingly in the direction of the village. 

Daniel groaned into the ground as Jay climbed off him, reaching over to the fire and grabbing a piece of bacon. 

"When did you guys start planning things against me?!" Daniel yelled, lifting himself up from the ground. 

"Since last night." Jay responded, sitting comfortably by the fire. He grabbed a piece of bacon and held it out to Dan. "Apology bacon?"

Daniel glared at Jay, then after a moment took the bacon and bit into it, grumbling over how this was a terrible idea. 

  
  
  


Cutting to the disaster twins (+Hosuh, who was slightly responsible), they arrived at the village after a couple minutes of full on sprinting. 

They rested at the edge of the village, Stephen laying on the grass after falling over in exhaustion. Ann contemplated joining him on the ground. 

"Why," Hosuh panted, "did we have to run the entire way?!" 

"Exercise is good for you, and all that." Stephen responded, getting up from the ground. 

"Okay, so we need to have a plan, guys!" Ann exclaimed, hitting her open palm with a fist. "I'm pretty sure we all have the same idea of what to do, right?"

"Murder-" Stephen started. 

"Bake a cake for Jay?" Hosuh asked, tilting his head. 

Ann and Hosuh stared at Stephen, squinting their eyes at him as they realized what he said. 

"What?!" Stephen yelled, raising his hands up. 

" _ Okay _ , we are going to bake a cake for Jay! As a welcome to the group gift! It'll be so nice." Ann said, moving on. 

"Are we even sure there's a bakery around here?" Stephen asked, throwing up a hand. 

"There should be, if not, we can just find the ingredients ourselves and borrow someone's kitchen." Hosuh said, making his way into the village. 

Stephen and Ann followed.

  
  
  


Back at the base, Dan and Jay were sitting by the fire, Jay holding a lizard he had found on the ground.

Jay patted the lizard gently on the head, observing the dragon egg sitting in the fire. 

"Hey Dan."

"Hm?" Dan looked up from where he was sharpening his sword. 

"What happened to dragons?" He looked away from the fire, looking at Dan. "Like, I remember reading that they died out a while ago, yet….we have an egg sitting right in front of us."

"Ah, well." Daniel put his sword to the side, leaning back on his hands. "Most people thought dragons did die out, but I think what happened was that wild dragons can't  _ all _ be killed. Dragons are still really rare these days though. And illegal."

"Then how the hell did I get this egg?"

"Shouldn't I be asking you that?" Daniel mumbled to himself.

"The laws are a bit strange. Dragon eggs in themselves are not illegal, but actual alive dragons are." Daniel said, gesturing with his hand. 

"Dragon eggs have to be within fire for a long time in order to hatch, right?"

"Well, I wouldn't know. We've never dealt with dragons. Something tells me you know a lot about them though."

"Oh, well." Jay shrugged, diverting his gaze onto the lizard on his hand. "I used to read a lot, back in the castle. I was into dragons for a little while, read every book about dragons I could get my hands on."

"I think out of all of us, you'd probably be the most qualified to deal with the dragon once it hatches." 

"Just knowing about dragons isn't going to stop me from getting burnt, Dan." 

Daniel stared at Jay, making a face. 

"Jay." Jay looked at Daniel, eyebrow raised. "You're  _ fireproof. _ " 

Jay blinked at Dan, then realized what he was talking about. "Oh right!" Jay put the lizard he was holding down, and leaned forward, grabbing the egg out of the fire. 

He held it close to him, observing the bright red color. After a moment, he held it out to Dan, grinning. "Want to hold it?"

"Uh, no. That's your guys' dragon." Dan raised his hands up, away from the egg.

Jay shrugged, observing the egg again.

"What are you going to name it?"

"Name it?"

"You can't just call it Dragon, you know."

"Why not? It's a dragon."

"No."

"Okay, okay." Jay laughed, putting the egg back in the fire. "I think I'll name it….Pillow."

Daniel blinked at Jay, processing. "Pillow?!"

"Yeah! Pillow the Dragon." 

"You can't just name it Pillow!" 

"Why not?!"

"Why not?! You-" Dan face palmed, groaning. "You know what, call it whatever. It's your dragon."

"Damn right." Jay smiled, laughing at Dan exparated face. 

  
  
  
  


Back at the village, Stephen, Ann, and Hosuh had only been there for about half an hour, and they were in a bakery, the Baker locked in a storage closet, front doors barricaded with angry village people yelling outside, and the stove was on fire. 

Ann put out the fire with a towel, coughing at the smoke. "Attempt number 4, no go! I don't think we should let Stephen be in charge of the oven anymore."

Stephen sat on the counter swinging his legs, flour thrown all over his necromancer outfit and his lizard sitting on top of his shoulder. 

"What?! It's not my fault I can't get the hang of the temperature of the fire! That oughta be more of Jay's thing."

"This is cake  _ is _ for Jay! Now get off the counter! Go keep watch on the barricade." Hosuh said, hitting Stephen's leg with a wooden spoon. He also had flour and other ingredients all over him, but he also had an apron on, so it wasn't his biggest concern. 

"Uhg, fine. But only if you let me help out with the frosting." Stephen said, jumping off the counter and walking over to the front door where they had stacked tables and chairs to keep the townspeople from getting in. 

"Yeah, yeah." Ann responded, waving her hands in a shooing motion.

Hosuh ran around the kitchen, grabbing ingredients for a cake for the fifth time. They better get this right soon, or else they were going to run out of the materials out on the kitchen, and he has a feeling that baker locked in the storage closet wouldn't be very helpful with letting them grab more ingredients.

He grabbed another bowl, not bothering to try measuring the ingredients as he put them in. The measuring cups were in the storage closet with the baker. 

Hosuh reached around the counter, throwing around baking items, then huffed as he couldn't find what he was looking for.

"Whatcha need?" Ann asked, shoving their fourth burnt cake into the garbage. 

"Eggs. I think we used the last ones."

"There should be more in the storage room." Ann said, patting her hands on her apron, which wasn't tied securely on the back.

"I got it!" Stephen said, jogging merrily to the storage room, unlocking it and throwing the door open and going inside. 

Ann and Hosuh waited and watched as they heard sounds of struggling and yelling, until they heard a loud crash and Stephen walked out with an armful of supplies. He kicked the door closed behind him.

"Here you go!" He exclaimed cheerfully, dropping the things on the counter. Hosuh reached over and grabbed some of the measuring cups, starting over on the recipe. 

"The baker is still alive, right?" Ann asked, pointing towards the closet. 

"He's fine. And even if he wasn't, I could just rez him and he'll be good as new!" Stephen said, smiling and putting his hands on his hips. 

"Ann, could you start the oven up?" Hosuh asked, cracking an egg into the bowl and grabbing a whisk. 

"Got it!" 

Ann took care of the oven while Stephen leaned onto the counter, patting his lizard on the head. 

  
  
  
  
  


Fast forward a couple of hours, Dan and Jay were still hanging out at the base, Jay sleeping peacefully by the fire, while Dan sat next to him, reading a book. 

Dan looked up from his book, looking at Jay. He was laying a little  _ too  _ close to the fire. Not that it bothered Jay, but Dan would rather not have Jay suddenly be set on fire.

He grabbed the back of Jay's shirt, dragging him near him and away from the fire. 

Jay grumbled as he half woke up, opening one eye to look angrily in Dan's direction. "I'm  _ sleeping. _ It was nice and warm where I was." Jay mumbled, reaching a hand to the fire. 

"You're still plenty warm where you are right now, go back to sleep." Dan said, flipping a page in his book.

"Hm." Jay responded, closing his eyes and drifting off again. Dan took a deep breath in, and they went back into the peaceful silence.

Then Dan faintly heard his name being called, and immediately got the 'someone did something dumb and now it's not going to end well' feeling in his chest. 

He closed his book, looking behind him.

Stephen, Ann, and Hosuh ran up to them, each of them grinning and laughing. Hosuh was holding a small brown box.

"Jay! Wake up!" Ann yelled, jumping down to the ground. Jay woke up with a jolt, glaring at Ann. 

"We have a gift for you!" Hosuh said, sitting down. 

Jay went from being disgruntled to intrigued and sat up from the ground, glancing at Dan.

Dan shrugged his shoulders, having no clue what they had in store. 

Hosuh placed the box on the ground, Stephen reaching over and lifting up the lid. 

It was a cake. A messily made one, with yellow and red frosting spread over it and shaky letters written out in white frosting saying "Hello Jay!!!" 

Jay snorted at the sight of it. 

"We thought that it'd be nice to put something together to say congrats to joining our group! Also Hosuh really wanted to bake a cake, so." Ann shrugged, smiling. 

Jay huffed, smiling back at them. "Thanks. If it's made by Hosuh, I'm sure it's edible."

Dan observed the cake, looking at the three incredibly proud faces in front of him. "Aw, you guys, that's so sweet of you to do! Although, I feel like there's a catch coming."

"Oh yeah, half the village wants our heads." Stephen offhandedly said, as if it wasn't a big deal. Right on cue, just as he said that, from a distance there was a large group of angry townspeople with torches and pitchforks were coming their way. 

"Oookay, everyone grab your things, start running." Daniel said, jumping up. 

"I got the cake!" Hosuh yelled out.

"I got the egg!" Jay said, reaching into the fire and grabbing the red dragon egg. 

"I've got my lizard!" Stephen laughed, holding up his little lizard. 

"Run!" Ann yelled, sprinting. The others followed, Dan already scolding them about what they did. 

"Dammit you three, there are laws!" 

Stephen burst out laughing in response as they ran.

  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They got away from the angry village people. Jay ate the cake. It was strawberry flavored.


	11. Jay's luck isn't very good these days

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once I start writing a chapter, I HAVE to finish it and post it within the same night. Which is why it's one am. Boo-yah.

After successfully getting away from the angry village people, the group was walking at a slow pace, no destination in mind, simply traveling along lands. They walked in a somewhat line, Dan in the front, slightly annoyed at the fact that three of them had casually broken into a bakery and stole some supplies to bake a cake. The gesture was sweet, yes, figuratively and literally. Dan was pleasantly surprised to find that the cake was both edible and tasted good, like strawberries. He wishes slightly he could’ve had more, but apparently the cake was for Jay only. 

That didn’t stop him from swiping a bite and running, but still, he had wanted a proper slice.

He glanced behind him to look at Jay, who was holding the red dragon egg in his hands. Jay held the egg in his hands, wondering what the dragon would look like. He then realized with shock that dragons, at least according to the books he had read, could grow to be way,  _ way,  _ bigger than him. How the hell would they take care of a dragon that size? 

Ann popped up from behind him, leaning onto his shoulders and seeming to read his mind. “So what are we supposed to do with the dragon once it hatches?” She asked, mostly directing her question to Dan. 

“Uh, we can cross that bridge when we get to it. I'm sure we can figure it out along the way.” He answered, purposely not looking Ann’s way so she wouldn’t know that Dan had no clue what to do with the dragon once it hatched.

“I wonder what color it’ll be.” Hosuh pondered from where he was walking next to Stephen. He placed a finger on his chin, thinking.

“Five coins on it being red!” Ann yelled out, looking at Stephen, as if challenging him to bet along with her.

“Five coins on it being grey!” Stephen said back, going ahead and taking the bait. He held out his hand, Ann grabbing it and shaking on it with a grin. Dan shook his head at them betting over things even though they all barely had any money on hand anyway.

“Oh my gosh, how are we going to feed it?!” Hosuh put his hands to his face, realizing a dragon would probably be eating only meat and most of the time, they ate whatever they had on them. He guesses that they would hunting wild boars a lot more often when the dragon needed food. 

“Oh it’ll be fine, Hos. We can just feed Dan to it.” Stephen patted Hosuh on the shoulder, reassuring him as Daniel frowned at hearing Stephen.

“No, you will not be feeding me to the dragon, I like being alive, thank you very much.” Dan turned around to glare at Stephen, who grinned in response. 

“Come on Dan, take one for the team!” Ann exclaimed, smiling. 

“Wha- No!” Dan stopped in his tracks, smacking Ann’s hand as she reached out a hand menacingly, wiggling her fingers in his face. 

Jay smiled at their antics, then looked past Dan, noticing a building. He raised a finger, pointing towards it. “Hey, what’s that?”

The rest of the group stopped and looked to where Jay was pointing, Stephen squinting his eyes and Ann trying to climb Hosuh so she could get a better view. 

“It looks like...a castle? I guess we can go and check it out.” Dan turned around to the group. “Ann, get off Hosuh, Stephen, I’m not letting you climb on top of me, we can go and  _ walk _ over to what we’re trying to look at.” Dan waved his hand towards the building, walking towards it with the rest of the group following. 

“Well, that’s no fun.” Stephen mumbled, walking behind Dan. 

They walked up to the building and Jay noted that it was, in fact, a castle. A broken down one. It looked to be abandoned, with vines growing all over it and some of the walls crumbling and broken away to reveal the interior of it. It didn’t seem to be a big castle, which maybe might have been the reason it had been abandoned so long ago. 

They walked up to one of the broken down walls, stepping over the rubble to go inside. It was a little dark, and incredibly dusty. The floorboards creaked underneath Jay’s feet. It smelled like the old dusty section in the royal library, back when Jay was still in his castle. That area had a bunch of old outdated books, so no one ever went near it. It became Jay's favorite spot to read, because then no one would go and bother him.

He snapped out of his thoughts, walking forward. 

Dan stopped to the side to pick up a discarded helmet, wiping dust off it. He hummed as he turned it over in his hands, wondering who it belonged to. 

Ann was poking at a nearby door, trying to get in. 

Hosuh stood next to her, looking at an old painting of some landscape hanging on the wall. He tapped at it with his finger, watching the dust fall off it. 

Stephen walked down the hallway, looking around and observing the broken down walls. Jay walked behind him, noting there were an awful lot of spider webs. He would have to have to deal with a spider.

Jay heard the floor below him and Stephen creak and groan loudly, and they both stopped at the sound. He heard a noise, almost like something was slowly snapping. Stephen turned slowly towards Jay, eyes wide. They both glanced at the ground below them.

“Jay, Stephen? Maybe you guys should-” Dan walked forward, reaching an arm out. He was cut off by the floor below Stephen and Jay suddenly giving out. Jay heard Dan screaming from above him as the floor below his feet disappeared and suddenly he was going down, gravity pulling him to the basement. 

They both yelled as they fell to the floor below, landing harshly. Ann and Hosuh ran to the ledge, leaning over Dan to see where they had landed. 

Stephen landed onto the hard concrete ground, groaning as he pushed himself up. 

“Jay! Stephen! Are you two okay!?” Daniel yelled from where he was kneeling on the remaining floor above. 

“I’m good! I’m okay! That hurt.” Stephen yelled up to Dan, sitting up. He looked around for Jay. “Jay?”

Jay, since he was holding the egg, landed on his back, knocking the air out of lungs. The egg seemed to be fine, but he was still laying on the ground, struggling to breath. 

He looked around, groaning out a “Over here.” for Stephen. He seemed to have landed in another room. Or rather, more of a jail cell, he noted, looking at the barred window next to the door. Stephen appeared behind the bars, seeing Jay. 

“He’s over here!” Stephen yelled, waving. Dan moved Stephen to the side, looking at Jay through the bars. It looked like the others climbed down as soon as the dust settled.

“Jay! Are you okay? Can you come over here?” Dan asked as Ann tried pulling at the door. Jay pushed himself up, groaning. He stumbled over to the barred window, cradling the egg. 

“I’m fine, just landed badly. The egg is fine too. Am I locked in here?” Jay asked, pulling at the door. It didn’t seem to budge. 

“Maybe we can kick it down?” Stephen suggested, looking through the bars to squint at Jay.

“That might bring more of the floor down, though. We don’t know how stable the foundation is here.” Hosuh said, knocking on a wall. 

"I can climb back up and drop down into the room where Jay fell." Daniel said, looking up at the floor. The sun shined through the hole above. 

"You would still just be in a locked room, though." Hosuh said, frowning.

“Oh, what about keys? If this thing is locked, then there are bound to be some keys around here somewhere!” Ann said, looking around.

“As long as you get me out of here.” Jay said, leaning against the wall. 

“Don’t worry, Jay-” Dan started, getting cut off by a rough voice above them. 

“You! Hands up where I can see them!” They looked up to see people with weapons standing on the floor above, bandanas over their mouths.

“Bandits!” Ann screamed, stepping back. Dan grabbed Hosuh and Stephen, pushing them behind him. Jay swore from where he was in the cell. 

“No funny business now! You four-” The main leader was cut off by Ann chucking a rock at his face. Stephen flipped them off, scrowling. Some of the bandits seemed to be thrown off at the sheer lack of hesitation from the two of them. 

Dan pushed Hosuh and Ann towards a set of stairs as Stephen pulled out a knife, glaring at the bandits. “You two go and find the keys! The castle isn’t that big, they should be somewhere around here!”

Jay was panicking from where he was. His hands had burst into flames. “Shit, shit,  _ shit _ , Dan?”

Dan glanced up at the bandits above them, who’s leader sent out a few to go after Ann and Hosuh. Daniel didn’t feel worried at that. Ann has taken down people bigger than her before, she knew how to fight. Hosuh would be fine.

He ran to the cell, trying to calm Jay. “Don’t worry, Jay, everything is going to be alright!” 

“Dan, battle strategy here?” Stephen said, keeping his eyes on the bandits who finally set their sights on the two of them below. 

“Fuck! Dan!” Jay yelled, stepping away from the barred window. 

“The bandits really shouldn’t be that hard to defeat." Dan said to Stephen, then turning to Jay. "Jay, it’s fine, we can-”

“I’m not panicking about the bandits, you green haired idiot! It’s the dragon!” Jay yelled, the fire growing higher with his panic. In his flaming hands, past the flickering flames, Jay watched at the egg slowly started to crack. 

“Oh shit.” Stephen swore, as Dan nodded in agreement. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lolol dont worry the next chapter is coming in like less than a day. I wouldn't leave yall on a cliffhanger, it's a bit cruel. (I am tempted tho) 
> 
> What color do you think the dragon will be?


	12. This is the worst time for a dragon, but OKAY

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look see? I can post chapters super quickly. I wouldn't leave yall on a cliffhanger.

"Please don't tell me the dragon is hatching  _ now,  _ of all times." Dan said, grabbing the bars and peering through to look at Jay.

"Well, looks like I got nothing to tell you then. Everything is  _ peachy _ ." Jay said with sass. 

Daniel huffed raising an eyebrow at Jay, then looking up at the bandits. They would have to deal with this quickly. 

"Let's try to finish this as soon as possible, okay?" Dan said to Stephen, walking up next to him. Stephen nodded without looking at Dan, eyes locked on the people over them.

The bandits above them had heard Dan and Jay's conversation. "They have a dragon. Worth a lot." He heard one of them mumble.

The leader walked up, his face a bit red from Ann throwing a rock at his face. "If you dare fight against us, we'll be forced to-" He was cut off by another rock hitting him directly in his face, Stephen being the culprit this time. The rock was bigger than the last one, and it knocked the bandit leader onto the floor. The bandits screamed in shock, expecting for Dan and Stephen to surrender instead of immediately fighting back. 

Dan took the distraction, sprinting forward and running up the wall, launching himself off it and grabbing on the edge of the broken floor. It didn't give thankfully, and he swung himself up, landing with a thump. He ran and drop-kicked the first person he saw. The bandits yelled and raised their weapons at Dan, shocked at how suddenly he came up.

Stephen brandished his knives, flicking his wrist and throwing one at one of the bandits, knocking the weapon out of their hand. 

Dan unsheathed his sword, swinging it at one of the men running at him. Stephen stepped back as three bandits jumped down to Stephen's level, axes in hand. 

Jay watched through the bars of the window, eyebrows scrunched in worry. He looked back at the egg in his hands, the flames still roaring.

Dan fended off the person he was fighting, clashing his sword with theirs. He swiped his leg underneath them, tripping them over, then he grabbed them by the shirt and  _ threw  _ the bandit off the ledge, into the basement floor below. 

He turned and glared at the next bandit, who was considering dropping their weapon and running. Dan swung his sword, keeping back a man who ran directly at him. He glanced back at Stephen, who took down one person with his knives, but was slowly being backed into a corner unknowingly by the other two.

Dan kicked at the person he was fighting, pushing them back. He jumped off the ledge of the floor, rolling onto the ground and grabbing one of the bandits by his collar, punching him across the face and throwing him into nearby rubble. 

Stephen tackled the other bandit to the ground yelling as he attacked them with his knife. 

He stood up, Dan grabbing his arm to keep him steady as he stumbled back. Stephen took out his staff, holding it over the bandits they took down, reviving them. 

He ordered his new zombie minions to attack the other bandits, who were all standing on the floor above them. There were still quite a few. 

Stephen threw his arm forward, his staff glowing. The undead bandits made their way up to the other bandits, trying to attack them. 

One of the bandits above them held a crossbow, running up to the edge and shooting it directly at Stephen. Daniel stepped in front of him and deflected it with his sword, glaring at the bandit who looked at Dan with shocked eyes. 

Stephen pointed his staff at the bandit with the crossbow and watched as his minions pulled the bandit off the ledge, attacking them. 

Dan raised his sword as Stephen raised his staff once more.

  
  
  
  


Ann and Hosuh ran through the halls, looking for the weapons room. Hosuh was sure the keys would be there. They watched their steps, not wanting to have the floor fall underneath them like with Stephen and Jay earlier. 

They turned the corner, Ann almost crashing into Hosuh as he suddenly stopped. 

"Hosuh, what the heck!?" Ann exclaimed, then noticing two bandits with weapons glaring at them across from the hall. "Oh." 

Hosuh looked past them, noticing the weapon room behind them. Figures, just their luck. “Oh, come on!” He yelled, throwing his hands up. One of the bandits raised their eyebrows at him. 

Ann pulled out a knife, crouching into a fighting stance. "Get past them, I'll take care of them!"

Hosuh nodded, running with Ann as they sprinted towards the two bandits. He ducked under the swing of an axe, sliding across the stone floor and stumbling to get to the room across. 

The bandit swore at Hosuh getting past him, grabbing Hosuh's hood. Hosuh yelled as he was harshly yanked back, and elbowed the bandit behind him, backing away. The bandit raised his weapon, but wasn't able to bring it down because Ann tackled him to the ground with a battle cry. 

“GET. DUNKED. ON. YOU. LITTLE-” Ann yelled, punching with each word. The bandit looked like he was regretting all of his life choices. 

Hosuh turned and ran into the weapons room, looking around and finding a pair of keys hanging on the wall. 

He grabbed it and ran out of the room into the hallway to see Ann struggling with the bandit on the floor. The other bandit was unconscious on the ground.

Hosuh looked around and grabbed a piece of rubble, slamming it into the bandits head as Ann was struggling with grabbing her fallen knife. 

Hosuh winced as the bandit fell over, unconscious. That probably hurt. 

"I had that." Ann said, grabbing her knife. 

"Sure ya did. Now come on!" Hosuh yelled, running down the hall with Ann following close behind. 

  
  
  
  


Back at the basement, Stephen and Dan were still fighting the bandits, Stephen throwing a knife and huffing as it just barely missed a bandit, flying across her face. 

There were still at least five bandits on the floor above, and Stephen watched with frustration as they struck down the last of his minions. 

Dan held his sword up, standing in front of Stephen, glancing towards the cell Jay was in. This was taking too long. 

Stephen thought the same thing. He stepped forward, putting his staff away. "Get back!" Stephen raised his arms, hands glowing purple. 

"Wait, Stephen-" Dan protested.

The beam below the floor the bandits were standing on glowed purple, moving to the left. The bandits stood still at the ground shaking. It wasn't enough, however, to bring the whole floor down. 

“Stephen, you’re going to pass out! Don’t push it!” Dan yelled, grabbing Stephen’s hood and pulling at it to try and get his attention.

“Don’t tell me what to do, Dan!” Stephen yelled back, pushing it. 

Stephen raised his hands, swinging them and lifting the beam only a few inches and dropping it. 

The damage was done, and the floor fell below the bandits, crashing down. Dan grabbed Stephen and they both took cover behind some rubble as the bandits fell into the rocks below, going quiet. When the dust settled, they both stood up, Stephen leaning heavily on the rubble. 

Dan quickly put his sword away, jumping forward and grabbing Stephen as he stumbled to the floor. 

"I'm good." Stephen mumbled as he kneeled on the ground.

“You are like, three seconds from passing out.”

“Mayhaps.” Stephen whispered, as if he was telling a secret. He blinked, trying to not fall over. 

Dan held him by his shoulders, looking up as he heard footsteps above approach. 

Hosuh and Ann arrived, keys in hand. Dan dragged Stephen to the wall, leaning him against it, and going to help Ann and Hosuh climb down the even more broken floor, getting the keys from Hosuh. 

They walked to the cell, Hosuh crouching down to Stephen’s level as Ann stood over them both.

"Stephen! Are you hurt badly anywhere?" Hosuh asked, looking for any big injuries. He had a cut across his cheek, but other than that, he seemed fine. 

“Ouch.” Stephen said, leaning his head back on the wall and closing his eyes.

Dan opened the cell door successfully with the keys, swinging it open. "Jay?" 

Dan looked into the room with wide eyes to see Jay's hands still on fire, but in his hands, instead of a red egg, was a tiny little red-grey dragon. 

Jay looked at him with a pained expression. "Hi."

“Holy shit.” Dan said, staring at the tiny dragon.

“Yeah, that’s an appropriate reaction.” Jay grinned, tilting his head.

Ann and Hosuh ran past Dan, Dan going to pick up Stephen. 

Ann carefully took the sleeping dragon from Jay, trying to not burn herself with the flames. She laughed, holding it gently in her arms. “Oh my god, Stephen owes me money.” She whispered, eyes stuck on the warm dragon in her palms.

“It’s still grey-ish, though.” Jay said, pointing at the tinted grey color across it’s scales. He waved his hands around, the fire flickering out. 

“Hush, it’s mostly red. I’ll just grab Stephen’s money when he’s half asleep.” Ann said, tilting her chin up. 

“ _ No _ , you aren’t going to go and steal Stephen’s gold just because you’re too stubborn to admit that both of you technically won.” Dan stood at the doorway, carrying a sleeping Stephen. 

"Come on, let's get out of this building." He said, tilting his head. Hosuh helped Jay up, and they made their way up the staircase that Ann and Hosuh took earlier. 

They walked through the castle, quiet. Dan stepped over the rubble, walking sideways carefully so Stephen's legs wouldn't hit the wall. He went down the hallway, listening to the footsteps of others. He stopped in his tracks at the sound of someone sniffling. 

He turned around to see Ann at the back of the group crying over the small dragon in her hands.

"Ann…" Hosuh said, slightly laughing. 

"It's just so tinyyyy!" Ann said, smiling and sniffing again, tears streaming down her face. 

Jay snickered, grinning at the sight. The dragon  _ was _ small, small enough to lay comfortably in Ann's hands. It was like a tiny kitten, except with, you know, scales and wings and fire breathing.

They continued their way out of the castle, stopping at the green grass outside. 

Dan kneeled down, gently placing Stephen on the ground. He groaned slightly, but didn't wake up. Dan fell to the ground next to him, stretching his hands up and popping his back. 

Jay sat next to him, crossing his legs. Hosuh took out a bottle of water, grabbing Jay's hands and pouring water over them. Jay winced as the water hit his hands. It was cold. 

Ann sat on the other side of Stephen, cradling the dragon. She was still crying. Hosuh looked like he was near tears too, to be honest.

"Your hands are burnt." Hosuh said, blinking rapidly and worked on healing Jay's hands.

Dan frowned, leaning forward and looking at Jay's hands. Hosuh's magic glowed as the burn marks slowly went away. 

"How long were your hands on fire?" Dan asked, grabbing one of Jay's hands and examining the burn marks, poking at it. 

Jay jerked his hand back, hissing. "When the egg started to crack. I was  _ panicking _ , because I was locked in a random cell with bandits trying to kill us and a dragon about to exist in my hands."

Dan raised his hands, palms facing Jay. “I mean, you handled it well.” He shrugged, smiling.

"And, at least now we know what happens when you overuse it." Hosuh said, looking at Ann who was still softly crying. 

Ann sniffed loudly, and after a moment of thought, went and placed the small red-grey dragon on Stephen's chest. 

Stephen mumbled, waking up slowly and opening his eyes just as the little dragon opened its eyes. 

Stephen stared at it, in awe. He reached a hand up, petting it across the head. It made a small yawn noise.

"Dan owes us both money." He mumbled, noting its red-grey scales.

“Wha- I didn’t even bet on its color!” Dan protested, Stephen ignoring him. 

Stephen hummed, shaking his head and grinning, putting his head back down, closing his eyes again. 

Hosuh finished with healing Jay's hands, and Jay immediately leaned down to look at the dragon that was contentedly resting on top of Stephen. 

It raised its head up, booping Jay's nose. Jay leaned back, laughing and rubbing at his eyes. "I think  _ I'm _ going to cry." He said, tearing up.

"I already am." Hosuh said tearfully, leaning his head on his knees and looking at the tiny dragon that was looking up curiously at all of them. Ann nodded, still crying.

Dan smiled, poking at the wings of the dragon. It made a grumbling noise in response. It crawled up Stephen's chest, chewing at his shirt. 

Stephen opened his eyes again, squinting at it. It stopped chewing on his shirt and stared back. Jay picked it up off of Stephen's shirt, holding it gently in his hands. 

He looked down at it, then looked up at his friends.

"Now, how the fuck do we feed it?" Jay said, setting his sights on Daniel. 

"Take one for the team, Dan." Stephen said from where he was laying down. He turned onto his side and passed out.

Daniel snorted, rolling his eyes. 

  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was tempted to make the dragon an outrageous color, like green or something. Alas! Nah.
> 
> Edit: I stumbled across a fan earlier and it was something (love ya mari) so I'd like to say I have an Instagram @bitter_honeycomb, dont be shy to have a chat! Its such an experience to know other people appreciate my story!
> 
> Edit again: chex I love your art omg, any of you can just say hi in my DMs it means the WORLD


	13. Follow the dirt road....or don't.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I've been productive lately. I finished up this chapter, surprisingly went and planned the next chapters, wrote up over THREE new AU ideas for Danplan, and posted one of them! (By the way, Let's be Superheroes! Check it out if you'd like)
> 
> Alas! School approaches, so I cant guarantee regular updates but I will try my darnest. With that being said, enjoy the story!

After a couple minutes of sitting there on the ground quietly, the group decided to not stick around for long, choosing to keep moving. Dan carried Stephen on his back, while Jay held the little dragon in his hands carefully. 

It instead scurried up his arm, climbing onto his shoulder and sitting comfortably there. He didn’t protest, smiling as it made a noise in his ear. It kept swiping at his earring. 

Dan suddenly stopped, staring ahead. 

“What’s up?” Jay asked, looking away from the dragon. 

Ahead of them was a dirt road. Next to the dirt road was a boar, laying in the dirt. 

“You did say we needed meat for the dragon.” Dan said, looking at Jay. “There’s meat right there.” 

“Aw, man. We have to kill it?” Ann said out loud, stepping forward and putting her hands on her hips. She looked at the dragon, who was still fiddling with Jay’s earring, and walked up to Daniel, grabbing his sword. 

“Wha- Ann, hey!” Daniel protested, readjusting his grip on Stephen. 

“I got it! Hosuh, you’re bait. Go run up to it and be loud.” Ann said, pointing the sword at the boar.

“What?! Why do I have to be bait?!” Hosuh asked, not moving. 

“Do it for the dragon!” 

Hosuh groaned, but then broke out into a sprint towards the boar, Ann following behind him. 

Dan carefully put Stephen down onto the grass, looking behind him as he heard a cart approach. It was a trader of some sort, going down the road. Dan stood up, walking to the front of it. “Stay with Stephen.” He said to Jay as he walked to the wooden cart. 

“Hello? Hi, yes, hello!” Dan waved at the cart slowed to a stop, the horse in front of it fussing. He walked to the side of the cart, smiling in a friendly manner. 

The trader pulled his hood down, revealing a man with simple black hair and a short cut mustache. “Hello traveler! Willing to trade?”

“Oh, no. I only wanted to ask, uh, what direction are you heading? Where are you going?” 

“Why, toward the kingdom nearby. I wanted to try restocking my supplies. Although, I am hesitant, I heard the gates were set on fire a few days earlier!” 

“What?!”

“Oh I know, crazy isn’t it? Who would do such a-”

“No, not that. Uhm.” Dan faltered, putting a hand to his head. He glanced back at Hosuh and Ann. Hosuh was running around yelling while Ann chased after the boar chasing him, also screaming. He was sure Ann was a few minutes away from jumping on top of the boar. 

“Do you have a map I could look at real quick?” Daniel asked, a nervous tilt in his voice. 

“Sure! Here you are.” The man handed over a map to Dan, who looked over it. It confirmed his suspicions. They had gone in a  _ circle _ . 

They needed to turn around, unless they wanted to go back to an angry kingdom who just lost their king. 

“Might I just say, you have strange colored hair.” The man noted, looking at Dan’s green hair. 

“Yeah, I’ve heard that before.” Dan said, scrunching his eyebrows as he looked over the map.

“Are we lost?” Jay’s voice rang out from next to him. Dan looked away from the map to see Jay leaning in to peer at the map. 

“I thought I told you to watch over Stephen.” Dan scolded, lowering the map.

“I got curious.” Jay responded, shrugging his shoulders. He raised a hand to the dragon on his shoulder, making sure it wouldn’t fall off. 

“Oh my gosh!” The trader exclaimed, looking at Jay. Or rather, the dragon on Jay’s shoulder. He jumped off his horse, walking over to Jay. “Is that a dragon!?” He leaned forward towards Jay, who leaned back, wary of the random person who was far too close.

“Yes, it is. Mind stepping back?” Dan stepped in between the trader and Jay, map crumpled in his hand. 

The trader took some steps back, laughing nervously. “Right, right. What will you trade for it?” 

A moment of silence passed. “What?” Jay asked, face blank. 

“I can give you that map for it, if you’d like.” 

“I’m not trading the dragon.” Jay said, his voice turning cold. 

“Oh, of course, a measly map wouldn’t do! I have some jewels in my cart! Gold, too! I’ll bring them out-” 

“I don’t think you heard me. I’m not  _ trading _ the dragon.” Jay repeated, raising a hand to said dragon, covering it from the trader. 

“I can give you my horse! The cart, why not? All of it is worth plenty, plenty enough for a dragon!” The trader stepped forward, reaching a hand to Jay, who backed up.

“Hey,” Dan reached for his sword and internally cursed as he realized Ann had taken it. “He said we’re not trading, quit it.”

“Oh, I’m sure I have something-”

“No! I’m not trading your stupid things for my dragon!”

“Come on, just give it to-” The trader suddenly lunged forward, Jay yelling as he almost fell back trying to back away. The trader was suddenly kicked in the chest, flying back onto the ground. 

“What the fuck?” Stephen swore, knife in hand. He turned to Dan. “What’s going on here?”

“He kept trying to offer things for the dragon.” Dan said, keeping his eyes on the trader who was groaning on the ground. “You good, Jay?” Dan asked, putting a hand to Jay’s shoulder. 

“Yeah, I’m fine. I didn’t expect him to lunge at me.”

Stephen hopped onto the cart, looking through some of the things. “Hey, Dan, can I rob this dude?” Stephen asked, leaning out of the cart. 

Dan looked at the trader, making eye contact as Dan glared at him. “Yeah, go ahead. Take what you want.” Dan looked away for a moment, leaning into the cart. “Hand me a knife?” Stephen easily tossed one of his knives to Dan as he looked through a small chest, collecting some coins. 

Dan walked up to the trader, kneeling down to his eye level. “Alrighty, here’s what’s gonna happen. You stay here, and we’re gonna keep this map, along with whatever else they want to grab. Then you can go, unharmed. Okay?” Dan said, waving the knife with his words. 

The trader nodded quickly.

“Great.” Dan stood up, turning to Jay. “Want to look and see if there’s anything in there you want?” 

“Nah. I don’t really want anything.” Jay responded, moving the dragon from his shoulder to his hands. 

Ann and Hosuh came walking up behind him, Ann dragging the boar. “Hello! We got the boar.” Ann said, giving Dan back his sword. 

“What’s happening?” Hosuh asked, looking at the scared trader. 

“The trader tried to attack me for my dragon. So we’re robbing him.” Jay explained. 

“Stephen is looking through the things, if you want to join him.” Daniel said, pointing at the cart.

“Nice, free things!” Ann said, hopping onto the cart and looking inside. “Stephen don’t you dare hide all that candy for yourself!” 

“I’m good.” Hosuh said, pulling the boar along. 

“Uhm, I-” The trader tried to talk, shutting up immediately at Dan’s stare, his hand resting on his sword. 

“Hey, look at this!” Ann said, jumping out of the cart. On her hands were a bunch of shiny ruby rings. “They look nice, huh?” 

“Yes, they do, but go put them back, you don’t need those.” Daniel said, tapping at the jewels.

“What?! I totally need them! Look how shiny they are!” Ann protested, shoving them in Dan’s face. 

“Keep one if you like, but you don’t need  _ six _ .” Dan said firmly, pushing her hands gently away. 

Ann frowned, looking at the trader on the ground. “He tried to attack Jay, right?”

“Well,  _ tried _ is the key word. Stephen kicked him before he got to me.” Jay responded, wondering what Ann was thinking. 

“Okay!” Ann pulled off the rings, putting one in her back pocket, and chucking the others into the grass far away. 

“Well, that's a waste of ruby.” Hosuh mumbled, watching the rings land in the dirt. 

Stephen hopped out of the cart, Dan giving his knife back. “I’m done! Let’s go.” 

Dan nodded, the others moving out of the way. Ann dragged the boar behind her. Dan stood by the edge of the dirt road, watching as the trader scrambled onto his cart.

“Oh, almost forgot.” Dan said, jumping onto the cart, looking at the trader. The trader looked back with wide eyes. 

“Don’t go telling any guards about this. Believe me, I'll find you if you do.” The trader nodded frantically.

Dan jumped off, standing next to Jay. “Have a safe travel!” Dan yelled out as the trader hurryingly rode away. 

Dan turned around, humming. “Let’s go set up camp by those trees over there.” He said, pointing to a patch of trees nearby. He helped Ann drag the boar. 

  
  
  


They set up camp by the trees, Jay making a fire while Dan and Stephen made a place for them to sleep for the night. As Jay was arranging the logs for the fire, he heard Hosuh yell weirdly, looking over to see him shaking his shirt. 

In his hand, Hosuh held a little lizard which he looked angrily at, while Ann laughed hysterically behind him. 

“Oh, that’s where my lizard went! He was probably just chilling in your shirt for a while.” Stephen said, grabbing the lizard from Hosuh. 

“Next time, you keep your lizard in  _ your _ shirt.” Hosuh said, happily giving the lizard back and going to help Ann with the boar. 

Jay, after a few moments of struggling, got the fire going, and Dan and Stephen had gotten another small tent built. 

“So Jay!” Ann yelled out as she and Hosuh worked with the boar. “What is the dragon’s name?” 

Jay picked up the small dragon from the ground next to him, sitting by the fire. “Pillow.”

Dan made a noise from where he secured the tent’s roof. “You can’t just name a dragon  _ Pillow.” _

“I mean, but Dan, Pillow is a pretty good name.” Stephen said, walking over to Jay and sitting next to him. Dan glared at Stephen, who grinned back, knowing exactly how much he was annoying Daniel. 

“Okay, okay. But why  _ Pillow,  _ of all names?” Dan questioned, turning to Jay.

“I like pillows.” Jay shrugged in response. 

Dan hit his hand to his face, sighing softly. “Sure, Pillow the dragon. It’s not my dragon, name it what you’d like.”

Ann and Hosuh snickered quietly at Dan facepalming. 

  
  


The sun went down and the fire roared, Hosuh cooking the boar over the fire. They all sat around the fire, Ann and Dan sitting on a log while the others laid on the grass. Dan was sharpening his sword, not paying attention to his surroundings. Ann, holding Pillow the dragon, placed it on the ground, letting it explore. 

It ran around Dan, climbing the log Dan was sitting on, standing by his side. Dan continued to sharpen his sword, not paying attention to the little dragon staring at him. Pillow took a tiny step forward towards Dan, carefully watching his face. Dan still didn’t look at Pillow. 

It took another careful step. Dan continued tending to his sword. Eventually Pillow had taken several steps, and was standing right next to Dan’s hip, arm raised as if it was going to tap Dan.

Jay and the others watched the little moment go down, struggling to not laugh as Pillow had gotten closer and closer to Dan. 

After a moment, Pillow papped his paw on Dan’s hip, still looking at him. Dan hardly noticed, seeing as Pillow’s paw was so tiny. 

Jay turned away and choked down a giggle at the sight of Dan still not giving Pillow attention.

Pillow roared at Dan, except it was tiny and high pitched, and it was more of a squeal. Dan finally looked away from his sword, looking at Pillow. 

“What?” He said softly, as if Pillow would be able to respond. “Go….annoy Jay or something.”

He pressed a finger against the dragon, carefully pushing it off him. Pillow didn’t listen, obviously, and instead climbed up Daniel’s arm, all the way up to his shoulder. Daniel sighed, making a resigned face.

The others couldn’t hold it back anymore and died laughing. Ann fell off the log she was sitting on. Dan looked at them with confusion, raising an eyebrow. 

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> #do it for Pillow


	14. And then Jay had terrible luck, part who knows at this point

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The danplan fandom: In shambles, crying, arguing, some trying to make peace, others just straight up leaving, mostly chaos-
> 
> Me: "Listen, I have some stories and a determination to make y'all happy, lets go." 
> 
> Hello! After the whole mess with Danplan, i obviously, like most people was very sad. I immediately discontinued this story and you know, cried. But then I wrote up Comfort, went right through the five stages of grief and right into writers block. Which SUCKED. 
> 
> But I'm back! And this story WILL keep going. I'm a naturally positive person, and although it seems kinda dumb, I actually have hope Danplan is going to make up and be okay. Not like before, heavens no, but I think everything is going to be alright! 
> 
> That being said, enjoy the story!

Jay woke up abruptly to a foot kicking him in his gut, not hard enough to hurt, but it still brought him out of his blissful sleep.

He snapped his eyes open to angrily squint at the perpetrator and was slightly surprised to find that it wasn't Stephen kicking him in his sleep but rather Ann, who was turned sideways in her bed, feet occasionally hitting him.

And he thought  _ Stephen  _ moved a lot when sleeping. 

Jay glared at her (although it didn't have any effect, she snored on) and scooted back, away from her foot only to have Stephen's foot kick him in his back. 

"Dammit." He mumbled quietly to himself. He had wanted to go back to sleep, but how was he going to do that when he was trapped in between two people who seemed to be constantly trying to play soccer in their dreams. 

He was tempted to wake them both up for disrupting his much needed sleep, but he decided to not be petty today and instead carefully slipped out of bed, crawling around them to the door of their little makeshift house. 

He noted it was darker than usual morning, and taking a look at the beds, he realized that Hosuh was also still sleeping, Pillow the dragon curled up next to him. Jay smiled at the scene and glanced outside to see that it was early morning, and Dan's bed was empty.

After a moment of thought, Jay grabbed his cape and went outside, breathing in the fresh air. 

He looked around, finding Dan leaning against a log by the extinguished fireplace. Jay slowly walked over, the grass damp under his boot. 

Jay stood by Dan, who seemed to be half-asleep, leaning his elbows on his knees. Jay sat down next to him, watching as Dan jolted, turning his head and noticing Jay, who leaned comfortably against the log. Jay noted the floor was cold. 

"Oh, Jay. You're up early." Dan said, tilting his head, the sentence almost like a question.

"Stephen and Ann kick in their sleep." Jay shrugged. 

Dan nodded, a knowing look on his face. He set his eyes on the fireplace, blinking rapidly. Jay could tell he was tired.

"I know you're an early riser, and usually wake up way before us, but did you even sleep?" Jay said, poking Dan in the head when he didn't respond fast enough.

"I slept, don't worry- wha-stop poking me, I'm awake." Daniel swatted at Jay's hand. "I woke up when the sun was still down. Couldn't go back to sleep, so I decided to keep watch so I was least doing something productive." Daniel gestured to his sword sitting by his leg.

"Why would you need to keep watch? Nothing has attacked us yet."

"Yet!” Daniel repeated, shaking his head. “And not that I'm  _ worried _ about getting attacked, the last time we were ambushed while sleeping, it just ended with Hosuh's foot on fire and Stephen sticking someone to a tree."

"Sticking someone to a tree-?" Jay made a confused face.

"Moving on, it doesn't hurt to keep watch every now and then. Ward thieves off, you know?"

Jay nodded, getting his point. 

"In that case," he reached over Dan, grabbing his sword. "I'll keep watch. You can take a nap."

"Jay, I don't need-"

"I’m keeping watch, you should at least take a nap so my efforts don’t go to waste.” Jay stabbed the sword into the dirt, Dan making a disgruntled noise as he made an unimpressed face at Jay.

“Jay, give me my sword back.” Daniel said, holding out his hand to Jay. Jay high fived him and kept his hand on Dan’s sword. 

Dan reached over Jay to try and get the sword, yelping as Jay smacked his hand away, looking at Dan expectantly. 

“Give me the sword, Jay.” Dan said, putting on a serious voice. Jay was hardly affected. He yawned, leaning back. 

“Nah. Take a nap.”

Dan stared at Jay, slightly annoyed. Eventually, he sighed and decided that just for once he would let Jay do whatever. He leaned against Jay, closing his eyes. He noted that Jay was unusually warm. Must be a side effect of his magic.

Slowly, Daniel drifted off to sleep, Jay humming to himself and watching the sky slowly get brighter. 

  
  
  
  


Jay woke up again, immediately realizing he accidentally fell asleep. He lifted his head off Dan’s, seeing Dan was still sleeping, thankfully. 

“Good morning.” Hosuh whispered from where he was cooking something over the fire. Stephen sat next to him, legs crossed and his lizard on his shoulder. 

“Hi.” Jay said softly back, not wanting Dan to wake up. Dan’s sword was still next to him, still stabbed into the dirt. Jay noticed Ann was running around in the field far off, probably chasing Pillow. 

“Why were you two asleep out here. We have beds, you know.” Stephen said, leaning back. 

“Daniel was keeping watch because he couldn’t sleep, so when I woke up, I offered to keep watch while he slept. Please don’t tell him I fell asleep.” Jay explained.

“Oh, I’m totally telling.” Stephen smiled evilly, his grin only widening as Jay pointed a threatening finger at him.

“If you do, I swear I’m gonna-”

“I mean, I  _ could _ not say anything. But the only way I would do that is if you-”

“I’m not gonna do anything for you.”

“Guess I’m telling Dan then.” Stephen shrugged, his lizard skittering down his arm. 

Jay glared at Stephen, grabbing the sword next to him. Stephen raised his hands up, calling a truce.

Hosuh sighed, rolling his eyes. “I doubt Daniel will be mad that you fell asleep, Jay.”

“I’m not.” Daniel mumbled, opening his eyes. Jay yelled, surprised. Stephen started to laugh. 

Ann came running a moment later, screaming with Pillow directly on her face. Daniel had to practically tackle her to the ground so she wouldn’t run headfirst into the fire. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Eventually, they ate breakfast and packed up, using their newly acquired map to finally know where they were going. They headed towards a village nearby, deciding they could rest there for a few days. 

As they approached the village, Dan glanced at the group, making sure everything was in order. Stephen’s lizard was sitting on top of Stephen’s head, poking out from his purple hair. Jay had his hood up, Pillow sitting comfortably around his shoulders, hidden by the hood. Dan was hesitant at first to travel into a village with a dragon at hand, but he decided that if something was set on fire, so be it. It’s not like they were going to be back any time soon. 

He slowed to a stop, turning around to the others, putting his hands on his hips. 

“Everyone knows the rules? Try not to break the laws, and don’t go wandering off. Let’s not get arrested, please. Or have the entire village try and kill us.” Daniel said, looking at Stephen and Ann specifically.

Ann scoffed, waving her hand. “We are blessings, Daniel. When have we ever gotten in trouble?” 

“I have a list. It’s alphabetized.” Daniel said, deadpan. “Also, we are banned from multiple kingdoms, and who even knows how big the bounty on our heads are at this point.”

“I probably added a lot more to it!” Jay exclaimed cheerfully. 

“What, no- that’s not a good thing!” Daniel yelled, sighing as Jay and Stephen started snickering.

“It’ll be fine, Dan. Let’s just go into the town and resupply.” Hosuh said, smiling. 

Dan smiled brightly back, turning and walking into the town. 

  
  


He was 50% sure things were going to go terribly wrong but then again, when did anything ever go the way it was supposed to go with this group.

  
  
  
  
  


Thankfully, it didn’t seem like they had stopped at this village before, seeing as no one was trying to kill them or trying to arrest them. Dan was able to drag all of them to an inn, even though both Ann and Stephen insisted on exploring first.

“You can explore in a bit. Wait just a  _ few  _ minutes.” Daniel said as he held the keys to their room, climbing up the stairs. 

“But then a few minutes will turn into a lot of minutes and then an hour and then it'll get dark and you won’t let us go out and explore!” Ann whined, puffing her cheeks.

Daniel rolled his eyes fondly instead of answering, pushing the door open to walk inside. 

Immediately both Stephen and Jay ran to the beds, jumping on each of them. Jay was at least nice and scooted over to let Hosuh sit down as well. Stephen laid splayed out, yelling as Ann jumped on top of him with no hesitation, trying her darnest to push him off the bed with her legs. 

“Wha- Hey! It’s hasn’t even been a minute, don’t go fighting.” Daniel said, putting some of their supplies down. “This is all we could get with the money on hand, so  _ share. _ ” 

All he got in response for that sentence was four unimpressed faces. Even Hosuh betrayed him, raising an eyebrow at Dan. 

Dan clicked his tongue, looking at Pillow, who had climbed off Jay and somehow had gotten to the window ledge. Daniel picked the dragon up, letting it climb onto his shoulder. They couldn’t explore the town with a dragon, but there was also no way they were leaving a dragon in the inn by itself. That was practically asking for another building to be burnt down again. 

“We’re going to have to split up, seeing as Pillow here can’t just stay alone.” Daniel announced, leaning back against the window. 

“Well, that’s settled. Jay, Ann, and me will go out and check out the town. You and Hosuh stay here!” Stephen said, already opening the door, Ann halfway out. 

“What?! I didn’t agree to that!” Daniel yelled, looking to Jay to hope that he would at least be on his side. 

“Bye Dan, see you!” Jay said, walking past Dan and patting him on the shoulder. He walked out the door, following Stephen out into the hallway. 

Daniel leaned out the door, yelling. “Don’t get in trouble, be safe!” 

“No promises!” Stephen yelled back as they all ran down the stairs, Ann jumping down the stairs. Dan was pretty sure she was probably going to end up tumbling down the steps. 

Daniel sighed, closing the door behind him. Hosuh was sitting on the bed, snickering. 

“That went well.” Daniel said, deadpan. 

“Let’s hope nothing bad happens?” Hosuh shrugged, jolting in place and suddenly reaching back into his hood. 

“You good?” Dan asked, watching Hosuh reach behind him and grasp at something. 

Hosuh pulled a lizard out of his hood. “Dammit Stephen.” 

Daniel rolled his eyes, laying down on the bed. Pillow jumped off the bed, landing on the floor with a thump. 

The dragon unfurled its small wings, trying to fly to where Hosuh was sitting on top of the bed. It half worked, Hosuh having to grab Pillow as it nearly slid off the edge of the sheets. 

Dan tapped at the hilt of his sword, sighing. He laid there for a good few minutes, letting himself rest. After a while, he got bored though.

What would be a good way to pass the time? He supposes he could try reading a book or maybe he could-

His thoughts were cut off by Ann and Stephen slamming the door open, Stephen falling in and rolling across the floor. 

“JAY IS GOING TO BE BURNED AT THE STAKE BECAUSE THE WHOLE TOWN THINKS HE’S A WITCH!” Ann yelled, panting like she had been sprinting. She leaned from the door, dagger in her hand. 

“What?! You’ve haven't even been gone for a whole ten minutes!” Daniel said, sitting up and looking to Hosuh who was grabbing Pillow and getting ready to go. 

Stephen spoke up from the floor, groaning as he got up. “We were exploring the town and we almost ran into a royal guard. We weren’t seen at first, but then we got caught because Jay accidentally tripped into a water bucket. We sorta panicked, and Jay used his magic, so the royal guard isn’t particularly a problem now, but-”

“Wait, royal guards? Out here?” Hosuh asked, Pillow in his hands. 

“Apparently they’re sending men out all over the lands! They’re  _ still _ looking for Jay and they  _ still _ want to bring him back!” Ann said quickly, jumping from foot to foot, adrenaline still going through her. “Shouldn’t we hurry!? Jay is going to get burnt!”

“Jay’s fireproof, Ann.” Daniel said, turning to Stephen. “Where are they going to try and burn him?” 

“Center of town. We tried to run at first, but there were a lot of people and Jay just said for us to come get you.” Stephen said, much calmer than he should be.

“Didn’t people follow you?” Hosuh asked, looking out the window. 

“I threw a rock at the first person who tried to run after us. They didn’t seem very willing to run after that.” Stephen shrugged, taking out a knife. 

“Okay, come on, let’s hurry up and get Jay before the town decides to drown him instead.” Daniel said, running out the door, the others following. 

  
  


Currently, Jay was not having a grand time. 

First, him, Stephen and Ann walk down the street, thinking about what to do first and they spot a royal guard, sitting on a horse asking around. For Jay. 

On top of that, a damn water bucket was in his way when they tried running away, so when he fell to the ground, he looked up to see a royal guard looking down at him. 

_ Obviously _ , he panicked. After he had burnt the guard to a crisp, patting his hands on the ground, the people around them were yelling, accusing him of being a  _ witch _ of all things.

And now he’s standing on top of a pile of hay, tied to a stake, with a crowd of people below him yelling about how he's going to burn for being a witch. 

“I’m not even a witch! What the fuck!” Jay yelled out, kicking his legs. The people in front of him screamed at him yelling, holding pitchforks. Jay is little flattered at being so feared, but come on. 

He decides to not wait any longer and starts to try lighting a fire in his hands, so he could burn the ropes and start sprinting. 

“JAY!” He heard his name being yelled from the back of the crowd. 

The people screamed and got out of the way as horses ran through the crowd, Daniel and the others riding them. Daniel rounded around where Jay was tied, stopping his horse. 

“Let’s go, no time to waste!” He yelled, waving a hand. 

Jay lit his hands on fire, breaking the ropes. He slid down the pile of hay, stumbling to where Dan was waiting. 

A man ran up to him, pitchfork in hand and trying to grab Jay. Jay didn’t even have a chance to fight back before a horse ran over the man, Stephen and Hosuh on top of it. Hosuh yelled out a sorry as Stephen steered the horse around the crowd, effectively making the people shrink back. 

Jay ran to where Dan was, taking his hand and jumping on top of the horse. The horse immediately started running, Jay holding on for dear life. 

“Where to, Ann?!” Stephen yelled, riding up behind Daniel. 

Ann was holding a map while on her horse, gripping the reins and looking forward. “This way!” 

Jay looked back at the town they left in chaos as they rode out of the town, going into the fields. 

“Where did you even get these horses?” Jay turned back around, holding onto Dan as the horse slowed to a steady run. 

“Stole them. I usually would have gone against it, but you were about to be burned at the stake, so.” Daniel shrugged, making a face. 

“I also grabbed some money!” Ann yelled from ahead of them, shaking a money bag. 

“Damnit Ann!” Dan yelled. 

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The best way to beat writer block? Reading uplifting comments. THANKS MIDNIGHT_LAUGH, YOUR COMMENT HELPED WRITE THIS STORY!!! Thanks for reading yall, see ya next week!


	15. Not a chapter: A question on continuing

Hey guys, Danplan is REALLY going into a dumpster fire, (Jay's and Stephen's video) so while I really love writing these stories, I want to ask:

Is this still okay? Are you guys alright with me to keep writing adventures and stuff? Even though its barely realistic anymore.

Basically do you think I should keep going or should I end it and let it be? I'll keep this chapter up for a week, and I'll make my decision then. 

The fate of the story is in your guy's hands, go ahead and choose.

Until next week! 

-Mars- 💛


	16. Ann, stop trying to fight a bear, ANN NO-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Awww, you guys, what's up! I've read yall's comments and here's my take on it:
> 
> This story is gonna keep going! You all were really caring about my mental health over it all, and really, I'm fine. I stopped being sad over Danplan as we know it ending and I've been more really positive and excited over things like Jay and poptarts, and talking with people who enjoy my stories, and Stephen's streams and all the amazing fanart of GAVIN. (Stephen's brother, btw)
> 
> I'm a positive person, what can I say? Things are going to be okay, guys! It may be over, but man was it fun and man I can't wait to keep writing this story of their wacky adventures!
> 
> Anyway, anyway, I've seen Dan's vid, and everyone is kinda just not vibing at the moment, so I'll try my best to get another chapter out in a few days! No promises, tho.
> 
> Enjoy the story!

They rode along on their horses for a long while, Stephen occasionally speeding ahead with Hosuh screaming as they went, Dan yelling at them to not go too far ahead. Stephen very much liked being on a fast horse, Hosuh, however, wasn't too fond of being on the same horse as Stephen. 

Ann, being the only one with her own horse, would smile smugly at Hosuh as Stephen sped by, Hosuh yelling "darn you Ann!"

Jay leaned forward on the horse, sighing. 

"You good?" Dan asked, looking away from the chaos that was Stephen on a horse. 

“Yes?”

“You askin me?” Dan said, looking back at Jay for a moment.

“No, it’s just-” Jay thumped his head against Dan’s back, mumbling incoherently. 

“Yeah, I didn’t catch any of that.”

“My kingdom is still looking for me!” Jay yelled out, frustrated.

Dan hummed in response, making a face.

"Guards are still after me, even out here.” Jay threw a hand up, gesturing wildly. “I didn’t expect them to forget about me, obviously, but I thought we’d be fine. But now, them searching for us, it adds a whole new level to the ‘let’s try not to die’ lifestyle we got going here."

"We’re going to be alright, Jay." Dan reassured, voice calm.

"But what if we won't be? What if we're captured and I get dragged back to my kingdom?” Jay fiddled with his earring, rambling. “What if I have to go back into my damn castle? What if you all get arrested?” Jay suddenly sat up straight. “Oh  _ fuck _ , what if they get Pillow?”

“Jay-”

“We can’t let that happen!” 

“And it  _ won’t _ . We’re going to be fine.”

“But what if something bad happens?!"

Dan glanced back at Jay, smiling like he knew something that Jay didn’t. After a moment of silence, he spoke up.

"Well, what if something good happens?" 

“Then we smash a bottle and yell hallelujah.”

Dan snorted at the deadpan response. "I know you're worried, and probably a bit scared, but things will be  _ okay _ . We've gotten this far, right? Who’s to say we can't get any farther? Besides, look at it like this," Dan waved a hand around. "We have a necromancer who always has knives, a thief who knows how to fight, a healer who can keep us from not dying, and a  _ dragon _ , which I think will be plenty useful in warding off guards when it grows." 

"Well, gee, what about you." Jay said, unimpressed.

"I have a sword and no fucks to give. You have fire magic, last I checked. We will be alright." Dan glanced behind him at Jay, giving a comforting smile. "Besides, I doubt your kingdom will be able to catch us. We’ve been chased by plenty of kingdoms before, and it turns out fine, mostly. If anything, the dangerous thing here is you people and lack of common sense."

"Hey, we're perfectly good with safety."

"Sureee."

"Dan!" Stephen yelled, riding back to them. He had apparently gone ahead. "Blue forest! There's a-" He took a moment to catch his breath. "There's a blue forest up ahead!" He said, looking excited. 

Jay noted that Hosuh was slumped against Stephen, looking like he no longer liked horses. 

"Oooh, blue forest! Dan?" Ann said, pulling her horse’s reins and riding on the other side of Dan's horse. 

"I mean, we could go check it out. If we be careful." Daniel said, holding an accusing finger at Stephen who rolled his eyes and went ahead. 

"Uhm, sorry, I'm confused here, what the hell is a blue…woah." Jay trailed off as they approached to the forest. But the leaves, strangely, were a bright blue. 

"Alright, everyone off the horses." Dan said, jumping off, and helping Jay get down. Ann practically leaped off her horse, and Stephen just grabbed Hosuh and  _ fell _ . Dan caught them both before they hit the ground, of course, but he whacked Stephen on the head right after. 

“Oh, to answer your question Jay, this,” Hosuh said, waving an arm at the trees. “Is a blue forest.”

“Well, damn, I wonder why it’s called that.” Jay said sarcastically.

Daniel rolled his eyes as Ann ran up in front of Jay, pointing at the trees. “It's not just any forest! Sure, its blue, but the whole reason they’re so special is because they  _ move _ .”

“They what?! Forests don’t move.” Jay questioned, looking warily at the trees. 

“Well this one does. Don’t bother trying to understand it, because you’ll just get a headache. You camp in this forest, chances are you’ll wake up with no forest around you. Obviously, they’re never marked down on a map, because they, you know, never stay in one spot.” Stephen shrugged, holding Pillow in his arms and his lizard in his purple hair. 

“But, that's not- there can’t be-” Jay stammered, looking to Hosuh for help. Hosuh shrugged in response. 

“Okay, okay, Jay, don’t try wondering about it, it’s magic. Your hands literally set on fire from time to time, this isn’t that strange.” Dan said, pulling the horses behind him.

“It’s strange to me, Dan, let me be confused.”

Dan shook his head, huffing. “So we could go and explore it? We could go around, if you guys-” Dan said, pausing as all of them started scoffing.

“Hey! I’m just saying, last time we came across these, Ann literally fought a bear.” Dan raised his hands, pointing one at Ann.

“He wanted my sandwich, but he couldn’t have it!” Ann yelled, looking ready to fight again, raising her fists to the sky.

“We’ll be fine, Dan.” Hosuh reassured.

“The last time you said that, Jay got tied to a stake for being accused of being a witch.” Dan replied, crossing his arms. 

“Ahh, but this time I mean it!” Hosuh said, waving his hands frantically. 

"Come on already! I wanna explore!" Stephen exclaimed, handing Pillow to Jay. 

“Hey, Stephen, stay walking behind me!” Dan yelled out, handing the reins of the horses to Hosuh.

“Don’t tell me what to do, Dan!”

They walked to the forest, the horses trailing behind them. Jay held Pillow in his arms, noting that the dragon had been growing these past few days. It was no longer so tiny that Jay could fit it in his pocket, rather it had become the size of a small cat. He felt sad that Pillow was growing, although he was also looking forward to the day Pillow would outgrow Jay.

Daniel led the group, yawning as he walked through the trees, stepping over some roots. Ann was rummaging through her bag, trying to look for something. After a moment, she seemed to have found it and pulled out a couple bottles that shouldn’t have possibly fit in her bag, but somehow did. She handed a few to Hosuh.

"Uh, what's this?" Hosuh asked, raising a bottle to his eyes.

"I'm not sure! I think it's apple cider? I dunno, I just snatched it." Ann responded, closing her bag and taking a bottle. She pulled out her knife and swiftly popped off the tap. 

Before she could raise it to her lips, Dan turned around, snatching the open bottle from her hands. 

"No, no, don't go drinking random bottles you grabbed." Dan said, pulling at the horses reins and raising the bottle to sniff at it. 

"But come on Dan, I got that fair and square!" Ann complained, throwing her hands up.

Daniel was unimpressed, taking a hesitant sip of the bottle, ignoring Ann's protests of how that was stealing. 

"Its apple cider, thank goodness." Daniel said after a moment, holding out to Ann, who took it gratefully. 

Jay grabbed a bottle from Hosuh, handing it to Stephen as he pulled out a knife. The group continued walking, casually sharing their apple cider, from which who knows where Ann had gotten.

Jay took a drink from his, passing it to Stephen, who chugged the rest of it like he was trying to win a drinking contest. 

Suddenly Hosuh stopped, looking to the trees with wide eyes. 

"You good, Hos?" Stephen asked as the group stopped, empty bottle in hand. 

"I think I saw something." Hosuh said, looking around in the trees.

Dan placed a hand on his sword, looking around. “Well, what do you think you saw?”

“Uh...ah dammit.” Hosuh whispered, looking behind Dan.

Jay looked where Hosuh was looking to see a huge brown bear, looming over Daniel and not looking very happy to see them.

Dan turned around, looking at the bear with more of annoyance instead of fear. "Dammit, not again!"

Stephen threw his empty bottle against a tree, shattering it, yelling, "SCATTER!" 

The group split, the bear roaring and trying to swipe at them. 

Ann stood in front of the bear, looking incredibly tiny compared to it.

"Round two, bear! Let's go!" She raised her fists, jumping up and down. 

Dan grabbed her arm, yanking her away. "Stop fighting bears!" He yelled, running into the trees. 

Stephen and Jay ran, Hosuh had apparently gone in his own direction. The bear followed them both, Stephen and Jay yelling at the top of their lungs as they ran through the blue forest. 

"Split up!" Stephen screamed, pointing to his right.

"But-" 

"Whoops, no time! Bye!" Stephen lightly pushed Jay, running off in another direction. 

Jay sprinted along, not checking if the bear was still behind him. He held Pillow to his chest, running as fast as he could.

Then he fell.

His foot caught on a root, and he tumbled down a hill, immediately turning his body so that Pillow wouldn't be squished. It knocked the breath out of him, and he shrieked as he rolled down the hill, the dirt and branches sticking to his clothes. 

Eventually, he reached the bottom, landing harshly and groaning into the dirt as he made a mental note to burn this damn forest down later.

He pushed himself up, looking around and finding Pillow had fallen from his arms. Looking up, he saw Pillow scurry away into the trees. 

“Pillow, this isn’t the time to explore!” Jay said, quickly getting up and following. 

He caught a glimpse of red and ran after it, finding a cave. Pillow looked at him curiously from the floor of the entrance of it, tilting his head.

“Pillow…” Jay raised a finger warningly. 

Then he ran inside.

Jay sighed, rubbing at his face. Of all places for Pillow to scurry off to, it had to be a dark, spooky cave.

Jay leaned forward, wary. 

"Pillow?" He called out, taking a hesitant step into the cave. He thought about maybe lighting a fire so he could have a light source, but he paused as he felt a gush of warm air blow at his face. 

Then, two grey eyes appeared in the dark. 

"Gah!" Jay yelled, stumbling back and falling onto the ground, eyes glued onto the grey eyes. He kicked his legs, scooting back as the eyes followed him out of the cave.

The creature came forward, and Jay watched in shock as a dragon stepped out of the cave, leaning over him. It was big, looking to be taller than Jay, probably. 

It had scars across its red gray scales, its wings looked old and torn, and those gray eyes stared into Jay's, looking curiously at him.

“Oh, another dragon. How pleasant. Uhm.” Jay said, totally not freaking out. The dragon stayed at the front of the cave, still looking at Jay. It tilted its head, seeming to expect something.

Then it clicked.

"Pillow." Jay said, recognizing the color of the scales, the same grey eyes. But they seemed so less young now. He reached a hand out, patting the dragon on the snout. 

Jay felt the realization fully sink in. “Wait, PILLOW!?” Jay made to stand up, but was knocked down by Pillow pushing at his chest. “What? This doesn’t make sense. What the fuck?”

The dragon blinked in response.

“How did you even?! Is the cave some sort of time travel magic or something!? This isn’t fair, you were cute being tiny!”

Pillow blew a puff of smoke into Jay’s face, who coughed and shook his head. 

“You’re still adorable, don’t worry.” Jay reassured, patting Pillow on the head. Jay leaned to the right, looking at the scars and signs of fighting on the scales of the dragon. His dragon had certainly gone through  _ something _ .

“Huh...what’s happened to you?” Jay asked. Of course, he didn’t expect an actual response, but hey, he was in a forest with blue trees and his dragon just went from being a baby to this suddenly adult intimidating dragon, so really, anything could happen.

Pillow closed his eyes, making a strange sound that resembled purring. Then he turned around and went back into the cave, not even glancing back at Jay.

Jay stumbled to his feet, trying to follow. "Wait! Where are you..."

But it was already gone. Jay stepped forward, ready to go into the cave, and watched as pillow scurried out, small again. 

Jay’s brain lagged for a moment, trying to process what happened. Eventually, Jay sighed, reaching down and picking up Pillow.

“You stop running off.” He said, trying to keep Pillow looking at him. Pillow seemed very interested in the leaves around them. 

Jay clicked his tongue, catching Pillow’s attention. He smiled, trying not to because Pillow needed to learn to not run off, dammit. 

Pillow blew a puff of smoke into Jay’s face, and Jay gave up on being serious, turning around and walking into the forest, hoping he would find the others quickly. 

Jay walked through the trees, thinking of a plan to try and locate the others. Then he heard a high pitched yell from far off into the distance, sounding very much like Stephen.

“Alright, let’s go find them and hope they haven’t pissed off any more bears.” He said to Pillow, who blinked cutely in response. 

Jay huffed, walking towards where he heard Stephen.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wonder what Stephen was screaming about, lol. (Twas a snake)


	17. And they lost the horses

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, this took forever to do.
> 
> Anyway, I made a little side story in this universe if you guys would like to check that out! It's like a small backstory from Hosuh's point of view, it's called Right Here, go ahead and click on the Danplan AUs series thingy if you'd like to check that out. 
> 
> I've been told it's incredibly wholesome, so I feel like you'd all like it. 
> 
> Anyway! Enjoy the story!

Jay walks through the forest, Pillow in his arms. He steps over the roots in his way carefully so he doesn’t trip and tumble down a hill again. That wasn’t the best experience. 0/10, would not do again.

Pillow is trying to chew at his shirt, even with Jay tapping insistently at his snout, trying to get him to stop. Pillow just stares at him then resumes with trying to bite at him. 

He hears Stephen yelling again, sounding high pitched and panicky. 

“I DON’T GIVE A _ FUCK _ ABOUT WHAT KIND IT IS, GET IT OFF ME!”

Jay holds back a laugh at the way Stephen is screeching and runs to where he hears it, putting Pillow on his shoulders, pulling up his hood. He steps through the trees, finding Stephen on the ground and glaring at Dan who is standing warily next to him, arms raised in front of him like he doesn’t know what to do. 

Dan looks up from Stephen, smiling at him. “Oh Jay! You’re okay.”

“Well, I fell down a hill and… other things happened, but I’m good.” Jay shrugged, smiling back and walking up to them.

“_ Daniel! _” Stephen hisses out from the ground, not moving. Jay looks back at Stephen and sees the problem: A snake slithering across Stephen who is looking like he wishes to be anywhere else other than here.

“It’s fine, it’s fine, look, it’s moving off.” Daniel reassures, kneeling down but still keeping his distance. 

“It is _ not!” _ Stephen whispers as the snake crawls over his shoulder. “Get this goddamn snake off me, I swear Dan, I’m gonna-”

“Stephen, don’t worry, just don’t move.”

“I am going to _ murder _ you.” Stephen says, his head falling back and hitting the dirt. Jay looks on at him in pity. 

Ann and Hosuh run out from the trees, stopping at seeing the three of them. Ann shrieks at seeing the snake on Stephen while Hosuh just takes a big step back.

“Is that a snake?” Hosuh asks, eyes wide.

“What do you think?” Stephen responds snarkily, not in a good mood with a snake on him.

“Here, I got it. I think it’s head is far enough from you.” Dan says, looking at the snake that was still halfway on Stephen.

Dan kneels by him, arms reaching out. 

“Wait, Dan, what the hell are you-” Jay says, but doesn’t get to finish his sentence as Dan _ grabs _ the snake by the head and flings it into the trees.

“There we go! See, that wasn’t so bad.” Dan says, raising his hands and looking down at Stephen. Stephen makes a strangled noise of frustration and lunges at Daniel, both of them tumbling down, Stephen yelling profanities.

Jay steps away from Stephen trying to kill Dan and goes to check on Hosuh and Ann. 

“Did you guys get away alright?” He asks, raising a hand to scratch at Pillow’s head.

“Yeah. Hosuh nearly fell off this random cliff and I fought a wolf, but we’re alive!” Ann responds, raising her fists to the sky. She has a scratch across her cheek. Battle scar of fending off a wolf, he supposes.

“We lost the horses…” Hosuh states, putting his hand to his mouth.

“Aw man, I liked those horses.” Ann whines.

Jay turns to look behind him, seeing Dan and Stephen fighting on the ground. Dan is pulling Stephen’s ear, while Stephen is pushing at Dan’s face, the both of them yelling.

“Five coins on Dan, who’s up?” Ann says, grinning.

“I’ll put five on Stephen.” Jay says, cupping his hands around his mouth and yelling for Stephen to go for the eyes.

“While the two of them fighting is, I guess entertaining? We need to move. Ann?” Hosuh says, looking expectantly at Ann. 

"Hm?" Ann responds, not looking away from the fight, where Stephen slaps Dan across the face, Dan retaliating with putting him in a headlock. 

"Remember?! What we saw in the forest?" Hosuh asks, throwing his hands up.

“Oh shoot, I almost forgot about that.” Ann hits a fist against her palm, looking away from the fight.

“How would you even forget-” Hosuh mumbles to himself.

“About what?” Jay asks, snickering as Stephen smacks Dan in the face again. 

“We saw guards passing by. I think they found our horses and they know we’re nearby. We should go.” Hosuh explains.

“Guards? Jay’s guards?” Dan asks, standing up. Stephen is laying face down on the floor, looking tired.

“Dammit, not them again.” Jay sighs, throwing his head back. Pillow shoves his snout in Jay's face, Jay blowing air at Pillow in response. 

"When did you see them?" Dan asks, grabbing Stephen and helping (read:dragging) him up.

"A few minutes ago? Over in that direction." Ann waves a hand towards her left and Dan nods to himself. 

"Alright, then let's follow Hosuh's advice and start moving." Dan starts walking in the opposite direction of where Ann pointed and the others follow.

"Let's hope we get out of this forest. So far, not a nice experience." Hosuh says, smiling. 

"I think it's been fun." Ann grins, wiping at the scratch on her cheek. Hosuh offers to heal it.

“I have a feeling that nature doesn’t like us very much, just a hunch, you kno-” Stephen starts, getting cut off by Dan shushing him, pausing in his tracks. 

“Don’t shush me, Daniel!” Stephen whispers, trying to listen to what Daniel is hearing. Daniel just shushes him again. 

Hosuh seems to hear it first. “Horses. I think they’re nearby!”

Ann spins around, looking around through the trees, trying to think of places to run. “So, we should start sprinting?” She says cheerfully, clapping her hands together.

Dan scrunches his eyebrows, looking at the trees. “Nope. Everyone, climb and hide!” Dan whispers, and runs up a tree, pulling himself up into the branches. Stephen follows right behind him, Dan pulling him up. 

Ann and Hosuh climb up a tree as Jay hides in his, holding Pillow in his arms, petting him. 

They all sit there in the leaves for a moment, then horses come running, stopping right under them. 

Three royal guards, two of them have helmets on, one has their helmet off and seems to be the one in charge. 

The captain yells in frustration. “They’re just a bunch of criminals! How hard can they be to find!? We found their horses, but why would they just run off?”

“Sir, I think we should-”

“Shut up, I don’t want to hear it. You two remember your duty. Find the king, and if you find the other criminals with him,” the captain shrugs, seeming to consider his choices. “Get rid of them.”

Jay is tempted to jump out of the tree and kick this guy in the head, but he stays in place, silent and petting Pillow.

“Frankly, I don’t know why the kingdom even wants to keep the criminals alive, I think they should just throw them away and-” The captain turns back around moving on his horse. 

“Jay, stay up there!” Dan yells, and Jay watches in shock as Daniel jumps from his tree and lands right on the guys face, knocking him off his horse.

Stephen lands on the ground, throwing two knives, one hitting a guard, the guards falling over and getting attacked by Ann, who’s jumped down right on them. The other knife misses, but the horse is startled enough and starts running. 

The horses run off, the one guard on the ground knocked out by Ann, who’s looking through the guard’s pockets. The captain is wheezing on the ground, Dan standing over him with an uninterested look. 

Hosuh is standing by the passed out guard, tapping them in the head with his foot. He shrugs at Dan, who unsheaths his sword, making sure the captain won’t be going anywhere.

“Alright. Jay?” Dan looks up to the tree, where Jay jumps down, hiding Pillow in his hood. 

“Well, that was eventful.” Jay states, looking at the captain on the ground. He raises his head, looking at Jay and Jay struggles to not laugh as the captain’s jaw drops, looking shocked. 

“My king? Oh no, they’ve brainwashed you!” 

Now Jay is really struggling to not laugh. Stephen is full on cackling in the background, Dan giving him a look. 

“Yeah, no. I left on my own choice. Do me a favor and stop following me.” Jay says in his ‘I am important and you shall listen’ voice, raising a hand. 

“But your kingdom! We need you to sit upon the throne!” 

“I’ve heard this too many times, Dan?” Jay says, rolling his eyes. Dan waves to Hosuh, who takes out a potion, looking hesitant as he looks at the captain. 

Ann grabs it from him and runs up to the captain, pouring (shoving) the potion into his mouth. 

The captain sudders and swipes at Ann, who dodges and sticks her tongue out as she walks back to Hosuh, but the effect already takes place and the captain quickly falls to sleep.

“That should last for about half an hour. So, should we go?” Hosuh says, going through his pockets, and making a confused face as he pulls out Stephen’s lizard from his pocket. 

“Oh, Daniel!” Stephen yells.

“What?” Dan asks, starting to walk.

“No, not you, the cooler Daniel.” Stephen says, grabbing his lizard from Hosuh, who looks like he wants to throw the lizard into Stephen’s face. 

Ann laughs as Dan rolls his eyes, all of them quickly walking away from the guards they’ve left on the ground. 

  
  
  
  


Eventually, they finally do make it out of the forest, much to their relief, and they continue walking through the plains, at one point Dan sprinting ahead and saying for the others to catch up. 

They run for a while, and when they do slow down, Stephen is asking why they had to suddenly sprint, Dan responding by shrugging and saying because he felt like sprinting. Stephen throws a punch at him, Daniel dodging, and oh, there they go, on the ground again. Jay looks to the others, who sit down and rest, and he supposes they’re resting here for the night. 

“Hey, Stephen, look what I got!” Ann yells, running up to Stephen. 

“What?” Stephen asks, then yells and shoves Dan at Ann, as he sees Ann has a huge spider in her hands. Dan screams along with him, Ann looking like she’s having the time of her life. 

Jay lies down next to Hosuh and takes a nap. 

  
  
  


He wakes up to sundown, the grass around them waving around in the wind. 

“Jay! Wake up.” Dan repeats, shoving at his shoulder. 

Jay opens his eyes to glare at Dan, who’s kneeling by him, grinning. 

“What do you want from my life.” Jay says, scrunching his nose at Dan. 

“Well, first of all, we need fire, second, get up, I need to teach you a few things.”

Dan gets up, going over to where they had cleared out some of the grass for a fireplace. Jay gets up, slowly processing Dan’s words. He feels like he’s in trouble for something.

Hosuh and Ann are sitting by the where the fire is supposed to be, Jay easily lighting on a fire for them. His powers have gotten more manageable these days, he’s finally stopped having his hands set on fire randomly, so there’s that. Stephen is sitting off to the side, Pillow on his shoulder, his lizard in his hand. 

“Jay!” Dan waves him over to where he was standing, a good distance from the fire. Jay walks over to him, the sky dark above him. 

“Am I in trouble?” Jay asks.

“What?! No!” Dan responds, a laugh in his voice. He pulls off his armor, throwing it to the side. Then he places his sword with his armor in the grass. 

“Come on, let’s spar.” Dan raises his hands, smiling comfortably. 

Jay is very sure he’s going to get his ass kicked, but he might as well attempt. 

With that thought, he takes off his cape, stepping up in front of Dan, raising his hands hesitantly. 

“I kinda realized that you have no idea how to fight when we came across those guards earlier.” Dan says, circling. Jay follows, walking sideways, keeping his hands up. “While sure, your fire is good enough most times, I think it’d be useful for you to know how to actually defend yourself. I have a feeling you wouldn’t want us to constantly be protecting you.”

Jay shrugs, his hands lowering the slightest bit. “I never really needed to fight, ever, in my life. Guards were always there. Now I guess I have to fight my guards, which I'm not complaining about.”

Dan waves his hand, telling Jay to come at him. Jay huffs, hesitating for a moment, looking at Dan’s smiling face. Deciding to give it his all, Jay lunges forward, throwing his fist at Dan. 

Not even a few seconds, Jay thinks to himself, and Dan easily dodges, grabbing Jay’s arm, pulling him forward and flipping Jay, Jay groaning as he lands on his back.

“Come on, again. I’ll be easier on you this time.” Dan says, leaning over him, looking like he’s trying not to laugh. 

Jay scowls at him as he pushes himself up, going again. 

  
  
  


Jay does eventually get a punch in, although not before Dan flips him three more times. 

  
  
  
  


Later on in the night, after Jay has been knocked down a million times, Dan calls it quits and laughs as Jay groans and faceplants into the ground. 

They go over to the fire and join the others sitting around it, joining their strange conversation over whether water is wet. 

Dan looks like he’s tempted to defend his opinion on it, but decides against it, stopping the argument as Ann and Stephen look moments away from stabbing each other. Hosuh looks amused.

“Ann, could I have the map real quick?” Dan asks, reaching out. 

Ann holds Pillow in one hand and digs through her bag in the other, finding the paper and throwing it to Dan. 

“Okay, so here’s the plan.” Dan says, standing up with the map in hand. He still has his armor off, having put it somewhere else nearby, but his sword is secured around his hip. “We are traveling to the kingdom down north, there’s a friend who I think will let us stay for a while, so we can rest until your kingdom gives up trying to drag you back.” Dan says, pointing a finger at Jay.

“Oh, fun.” Jay says, deadpan. Hosuh laughs next to him.

“It should take about a week or so?” Dan shrugs, rolling it up and giving it to Ann, who stows it away for future use. “We should probably go off to sleep. Although with guards coming after us now, I think we need to start having a lookout.”

“Jay, stop being a missing king!” Stephen yells, cupping his hands around his mouth, poking fun. 

“Stop being a wanted criminal!” Jay responds in the same tone, throwing a rock in Stephen’s direction.

“Alright, everyone, go to sleep. I’ll take first watch.” Daniel says, sitting by Jay, hand on his sword. 

“No way! I take first watch! Whenever you are the lookout, you always let us sleep for way longer than we should!” Ann protests, pointing an accusing finger at Dan. 

“What?! No I don’t!” Dan says, smacking Jay’s hand as Jay reaches for his sword. Jay frowns at him. Dan isn’t affected. “Hosuh, back me up.” Dan says, looking to Hosuh, who walks over to Dan and sits by him.

“You always stay up later than us. It’s entirely unfair.” Hosuh says, crossing his arms as he sits down on the grass. 

Dan withers in place from Hosuh’s betrayal. 

“Ann takes first watch, that’s that.” Jay shrugs, laying back on the ground, turning over and going to rest.

Dan protests, going to stand up, and yells in surprise as Stephen tackles him to the ground before he even gets on his feet, yelling "CHAAARGE!"

Jay and Hosuh dog pile on him, Dan yelling for Ann to help.

Ann doesn't help, instead she watches as Dan gets suffocated and laughs quietly to herself as she pets Pillow in her lap, taking first watch of the night. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know, I have some blue characters coming up in the story later on,,,,just saying,,,,look forward to that.
> 
> Anyway, thanks for reading!


	18. Oh, wait, so this ISNT some random jail cell?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm reaaaaally tempted to make a small animatic of like, just Jay and the others with every single thing that's gone wrong so far with the grump it song. Ya know, the swearing one where it's Perfect for when things go wrong. 
> 
> Anyway, enjoy the chap, a bit longer than usual I think.

The next week consists of the five of them traveling across the lands to the destination up north, to a different kingdom. Dan explains that their friend is the prince there, and so it should be alright to hang out there until everything blows over.

The journey is  _ supposed _ to take about a week. 

It takes three and a half, because Dan gets carried off by bandits in the middle of the night at one point, Ann falls down a hole that leads to a whole underground cave system, and Hosuh accidentally somehow declared war on a random viking tribe. 

Jay had thought when he first joined up with the group, they were just having a bad week, with all the shenanigans they got into when he first joined.

Nope, they must be cursed or have incredibly terrible luck (or good luck, depending on how you look at it) He's a little amazed by the amount of trouble they all get into.

But back to the events Jay was going over.

Two days into their traveling, the group had woken up in the middle of the night to the sound Dan yelling "Motherfu-", accompanied with the sound of bandits yelling.

Jay had barely been half awake before he saw Stephen immediately launch some of the bandits into the air with his magic, seeming to be an automatic response, because they were all still sleepy.

Jay was ecstatic to find that Pillow knew how to breath fire, finding out after wrestling with a bandit on the ground, Pillow setting the bandit's clothes on fire. Jay was able to take the surprise of the fire and blast his own fire into the bandit's face, then run to Pillow and yell happily over how his dragon knew how to burn things.

Ann had taken down five bandits at once, while Hosuh was just calmly packing up the campsite during the midst of all the fighting, every now and then taking a step to the side when Ann flung a bandit across the campsite.

After the initial fight, and the group had been able to take the majority of the bandits down, they had found Dan several feet away, still being dragged by the leg across the dirt. 

Dan's sword was still at the campsite, so he was just kicking and yelling, with the bandits starting to wonder if it was really worth all this trouble to catch a wanted criminal. 

Dan was dragged all the way to the bandits base, and  _ that _ took a while to take care of.

Of course, they eventually got Daniel back, even though Stephen was tempted to sell him. ("I mean, I'd sell Dan for a dollar." "Thanks Stephen, feeling the love.")

And off they went after that, another bandit group taken care of.

But then, later on that week, Ann fell into a hole.

At first, it seemed like an easy fix, Dan could just climb in, then carry Ann out.

But then Ann  _ insisted _ that there was something cool down there, and then Stephen jumped down, and then Hosuh shrugged and followed, and then Jay went right ahead, and Dan sighed, giving up on making them get out of the hole and joining them, because he knew there was no stopping them at this point.

Ann had somehow stumbled upon a cave system, and they went and traveled through it for the entire day, using Jay's fire as a light source.

At one point throughout their exploring, Stephen had whispered to Jay and Ann for them to mess with Hosuh and Dan and to turn the light off.

Deciding to have a little fun and play along, Jay had flicked his fire off, plunging them all into the pitch black darkness.

Hosuh had screamed loud, for sure, but Dan  _ shrieked _ . 

Then again, once Jay had turned on his fire again, they had found that Ann had jumped onto Dan  _ in the dark _ , so the reaction seemed appropriate. 

They found some cool rocks and some huge spiders, to which all of them had hid behind Dan, as Daniel sighed and worked on putting the spider to the side of the cave, the others keeping their distance.

A spider had fallen onto Jay's head, and boy, was that fun. His fire had flared and he nearly set Ann on fire with his flailing around.

Eventually they found an opening, Ann declaring she had found amazing treasures (they were just funny shaped rocks) and Dan stating that the cave had taken them incredibly off course.

As for Hosuh accidentally declaring war, they had come across a viking group, which seemed friendly at first, asking to trade and speaking to them in broken English. 

Hosuh had asked something about one of the plants they had wanted to trade, and immediately the Vikings seemed very offended.

The leader nearly decapitated Hosuh, swinging his axe at him, Hosuh falling backwards into Stephen, who dragged Hosuh to cover as the Vikings tried attacking them.

Dan had tackled the leader to the ground, and started a duel of some sort, most of the vikings watching and yelling.

Of course, the others cheered Dan on. ("HIT HIM IN THE NECK, DAN, NO MERCY, PUNCH HIM OUT!" "Ann, we are trying to  _ not  _ piss them off." “Hush, Jay, a fight is a fight, I’ll bet you three silver coins on Dan.” “...yeah, okay.”)

Dan did win, although it was only because Hosuh smashed a vase over the leader’s head and all of them started sprinting, the vikings yelling angrily as they ran away.

And after all that, they finally arrived at a small town, where Dan said it would be their last stop, the kingdom being nearby. 

Jay walked through the streets, Stephen at his side, Pillow in his arms. Dan, Ann, and Hosuh had gone off to grab some supplies, while Stephen and Jay could just go explore, after promising three times in a row to Dan that they wouldn’t get into any trouble.

Pillow was sleeping in his arms, peaceful as ever. Jay was both sad and proud to say that he was growing, although it was getting harder to carry Pillow at this point. 

“Wait, do dragons lose teeth?” Stephen randomly asked, his arms thrown over his head as he walked with Jay.

“Not sure. Why the random question?” Jay said, looking back at Stephen.

“I was wondering if dragon teeth would be good for potions.” Stephen fiddled with his sleeve, walking up to Jay and poking Pillow on top of the head. 

Jay held back a laugh as Pillow woke up, blowing smoke at Stephen. “If Pillow does lose teeth, I doubt I’d use them for potions.”

“No, you’d probably put them on a necklace and cry over how you miss your small dragon.” Stephen made a face, wiping at non-existent tears.

“Hey, I wouldn’t cry.” Jay said, not protesting about keeping his dragon’s baby teeth. 

“No, you’d sob.”

“ _ Listen- _ ”

The two of them paused at hearing the sound of Ann scream nearby, accompanied with the sound of breaking glass. 

“And they said  _ we’d _ cause trouble.” Stephen said, running forward. 

Jay followed, running down the street and finding Hosuh, Dan, Ann and an angry shopkeeper outside of a shop. There was broken glass on the floor, and the shopkeeper was yelling at Ann, waving his arms around.

“It was an  _ accident _ ! You’re the one who ran into me in the first place, idiot!” Ann said, shaking her fist.

Dan pulled her behind him with Hosuh, trying to calm the shopkeeper. “Listen, Sir-”

“Don’t go trying to justify her! I know she’s probably a thief of some sort! Empty your pockets, I bet you’ve stolen something from me!” The old man yelled, pointing at Ann, who stuck her tongue out, crossing her arms and spinning around, stubbornly not even looking at the shopkeeper.

“Hey Dan.” Stephen said, raising a hand. Both Dan and the old man turned to Stephen and Jay, Dan waving.

“A necromancer!” The old man yelled, seeming incredibly shocked. 

“Oh, not one of these people again.” Stephen mumbled, glaring.

The five of them were put on guard as the man grabbed a vase from his shop, chucking it at Stephen, who dodged and swore loudly.

Jay raised a hand at the man, trying to defuse the situation, but then he was hit harshly on the back of the head, knocking him to the ground. 

Pillow fell out of his arms, landing safely on the ground as Jay groaned, his head hitting the dirt.

“Jay!” Hosuh yelled, summoning his staff immediately. Dan’s hand went to his sword, hesitating.

“Guards! These people are thieves! Criminals, no doubt!” The old man yelled, his voice getting louder as Stephen flipped him off. 

Jay kept blinking, feeling dizzy. Pillow had crawled up to his face, pressing his snout to his cheek. 

If they were surrounded by guards, Jay needed to grab Pillow. But he felt like he was moments from passing out, so the only thing he could do is softly tell Pillow to go to Dan.

Dan ran up to Jay, grabbing Pillow as Ann and Hosuh reluctantly put their hands up, the guards yelling something about The Law. 

“Jay, are you okay?” Dan says, although Jay hardly processes it, and he blacks out with the sight of Stephen pulling a knife on one of the guards, standing in front of Dan and yelling about how the law could go fuck itself.

  
  


\---

  
  


Jay wakes up to Hosuh shaking him gently, his grey magic glowing around Jay as he opens his eyes slowly.

"Ow." Jay mumbles, noting that his face is against...concrete? 

He sits up, taking in his surroundings as Hosuh finishes up with healing him.

Him, Ann, and Hosuh are sitting in a jail cell, Ann sitting against the bars and pouting, her legs criss crossed. Hosuh is kneeling by him, seeming bored.

Jay panics for a moment before he realizes Dan and Stephen are in a separate jail cell across from them. Pillow is in Dan's arms, thank goodness. Stephen is twirling a knife in his hands, Dan speaking softly at both him and Pillow. 

“Are you okay?” Hosuh asks, his magic fading out.

"I’m fine. What happened?" Jay asks, rubbing at his head.

"We got dragged in by some guards. They weren't from your kingdom thankfully, so we're good on that part, but still. Here we are." Ann says, stepping away from the bars to observe Jay. "On a scale from one to ten, how alright are you with sprinting?"

"Like a eight." Jay responds, leaning to the side and seeing Dan and Stephen in the other cell, looking bored. "Dan?"

Daniel looks up, his face lighting up with relief. "Oh Jay! You're up! How are you?"

"I’m alright, thanks to Hosuh. How come we're in different cells?" Jay asks, scooting to in front of the bars, squinting through them.

"Daniel refused to let go of Pillow and Stephen kept pointing a knife. He almost stabbed someone when they tried to grab Dan, and we agreed to go along if we were kept together. They agreed with letting us be in a cell together, although they made Dan and Stephen go in a different one.” Hosuh explained, standing up with Ann.

“I still think you should have let me stab them.” Stephen said, pulling Dan to his feet as he tucked his knife away. 

“Usually, I would have been fine with us running, but Jay was knocked out, so we had to  _ cooperate _ .” Dan said, forcing the word at Stephen, who waved his hand, unworried.

“Okay, everyone good, everyone up to sprint, everyone up to kick a guard in the face?!” Ann said, hopping up and down as Jay got to his feet, laughing at how chipper Ann was at breaking out.

Dan sighed, wishing sometimes their lives would be just a little less illegal. But it added some fun to it all, he supposes. 

“I think we’re all good.” Hosuh says, brushing some dirt off his knees.

“How should we do this one then?” Dan asks, shifting Pillow in his arms.

“I say we blow up the jail cell.” Stephen says, laughing and dodging as Dan swipes at him.

“Can’t we just pick the locks and go out quietly?” Hosuh suggests, leaning against the bars.

“The only way I know how to pick a lock is smashing it to smithereens.” Ann snaps her fingers, smiling brightly.

“Can I try something?” Jay raises his hand, the others looking at him.

“As long as it’s not blowing up the whole cell, go ahead.” Dan says, waving his arm.

Jay turns on his fire, and places his hand on the lock of the cell door, trying to melt it. Ann digs through her bag and pulls out a crowbar, of all things.

The lock turns glowing red from the fire, and Ann waves Jay to the side, raising the crowbar and hitting the lock, the lock coming apart. She kicks the cell door open, waving her arm and letting Jay and Hosuh walk out first. 

Jay does the same to Dan and Stephen’s lock, Ann happy to swing the crowbar again.

Dan hands Pillow to Jay, immediately grabbing at Jay’s head and making sure he was completely healed. 

“I am  _ fine _ , Hosuh is great at healing.” Jay smacked at Dan’s hands, while Hosuh smiled and chimed in.

“Well, I don’t know, I might have missed a spot.” Hosuh says, his voice teasing.

“You hush, I am uninjured and want to get out of here.” Jay points a finger at Hosuh, making a face.

“Well, then, let us-” Stephen started, getting cut off by a guard at the end of the hallway of cells.

“Hey! What are you doing out!?” 

“Ah! Run!” Ann screams, swinging the crowbar and smacking the guard as he runs towards them, Stephen grabbing him and flinging him into the cell they just came out of. 

Ann sprinted down the hall, yelling, the others following. 

They got to the end, looking in both directions. On the right, three guards who looked surprised. The left, some steps leading to a door. 

Obviously, they sprinted to the left, the five of them swearing and yelling as the guards followed, screaming in an authoritative voice. Stephen nearly tripped over the stairs, Dan grabbing the back of his hood and dragging him up. 

Hosuh slammed the door open, the door seeming to lead outside. They ran out, Ann throwing the crowbar at the guards, Stephen slamming it closed right after and running. 

They seemed to be in a town, some people here and there, looking shocked at the five of them sprinting and yelling as they ran down the street.

Dan led the way, making a sharp turn and going down a steep street, Hosuh tripping and rolling down. 

Jay helped him up, and Ann yelled something about death before dishonor and pulled a knife out. Jay looked up to see there were a good amount of guards around them. 

“And we’re surrounded! Great, Dan,  _ now _ can I stab them?” Stephen asked, two knives in his hands.

“I’m considering it.” Dan mumbled, pulling out his sword. 

Jay was about to bring out his fire just as Ann looked ready to jump a guard, when-

“Stop! Stand down!” Someone yelled, riding up on a horse. He had glasses and a crown on top of his head, his hair a light brown.

“Ohhhhh.” Hosuh said from behind Jay, seeming to realize something.

“Guys, come on, this is the third time.” Jo said, coming down from his horse. Jay wasn’t sure if he was talking to the guards or to Dan and the others.

“Hey Jo!” Stephen greeted, waving his hand, hiding his knife behind his back.

“Heyyy.” Dan said, smiling awkwardly. Jo sighed, face palming.

  
  
  


About half an hour later, they were in the castle, sitting on fancy seats, tea in front of them, Jo speaking with a guard by the door.

Well, Dan and Jay were sitting on the chairs, Stephen and Ann were laying on the ground, and Hosuh was sitting on the floor by the small table, sipping at his tea. Stephen and Ann seemed to be playing rock paper scissors, their tea sitting by them, neglected.

Jo came back, sitting across from Jay and Dan.

“Okay, can’t you guys just come to the front gates and  _ ask _ to see me?” Jo asked, his voice seeming more amused than annoyed.

“Hey, in our defense, we were dragged here.” Stephen said, raising a hand.

“Yeah, my guards told me the situation.” Jo said, leaning back in his seat. He looked at Jay, raising an eyebrow. “New person? Who’s this?” He looked to the dragon in Jay’s arms. “Aaand, you also have a dragon.”

“It’s been an eventful few weeks.” Hosuh shrugged, reaching for some sweets on the table. 

“Wait a minute!” Jo snaps his fingers, eyes locked on Jay, standing up out of his seat. “Let me see your eyes.”

“Uhhhh.” Jay covered his eyes, smushing his face into Dan’s shoulder as Jo walked up.

“Why do you need to see his eyes?” Ann asked, sitting up from the ground.

“Are they multicolored?!” Jo asked, pointing his question at Dan.

“Depends, why do you need to know?” Dan said, not seeming concerned, even though Jay was panicking a little next to him.

Jo breathed in deeply, Jay peeking out and still trying to hide his face from Jo.

“You four have  _ the _ runaway king from the Golden Kingdom in your group, don’t you.”

Jay struggled to not laugh at how Jo was sounding, not even seeming surprised. 

“Mayyyybe.” Stephen said, sipping loudly at his tea right after.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jo won't be joining the group, unfortunately, but we have others on their way. Anyway, thanks for reading!


	19. Stephen, stop being vague!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this story has gotten worryingly long. oh well. I have some very nice stuff planned. And also y'all know how I say I can't write angst? hahahahaha, it's a big maybe, but ah, you'll see.
> 
> anyway, I'm looking forward to the next chapters. enjoy!

“I feel like I should be surprised about you four having the runaway king in your group, but honestly, I’m more interested in the dragon.” Jo says, sitting back down in his seat. Jay pulls Pillow close to him, grinning. Pillow is very worthy of all the attention in the world.

Well, Jay might be a little biased, but still. 

“First off, this is Jay, he has fire magic, so if something ends up being on fire today, it’s not entirely our fault.” Daniel points to Jay, who looks to Dan with an unhappy face.

“Also, the dragon came from an impulse buy. I didn’t have a say in it, it’s their dragon, not mine.” Dan waves a hand at Pillow, shugging.

“Lies!” Ann yells from the ground, getting muffled by Dan throwing a pillow from the seat into her face, not even glancing her way as she falls dramatically backwards onto the floor, shrieking. 

“So news about Jay and us has already gone around, I assume?” Dan questions, ignoring the way Ann is glaring at him. Jay expects for her to throw the pillow back at him, but surprisingly, she just pouts and sits back, making a mean face.

“From what I’ve heard around, you guys went into his kingdom, set multiple things on fire and caused general trouble, although I think that’s just a common thing at this point-”

“Hey!” Dan says, Jo laughing. Dan slouches, defeated. Tis true. Dan may be trying to keep his morals, but they break laws on a weekly basis at this point, it’s not like he can deny it.

“And then you guys kidnapped the king and forced him to travel with you.” Jo says, grinning. 

“The last time we saw one of my guards, they thought I was brainwashed by them.” Jay says, Jo holding back a laugh as Stephen starts snickering, holding a hand over his mouth.

Jo shakes his head, seeming to not be surprised. “You guys have a ten thousand dollar bounty on your heads.” He says, leaning his head on his hand.

“Ten thousand…” Hosuh whispers to himself, patting his hands against his face. 

“That’s only for us kidnapping Jay, right? I could have sworn the bounties on us these days are higher.” Ann said, looking off into the distance.

Dan groaned and dropped his head into his hands as Stephen and Ann teamed up on trying to do the math to see how much they had racked up in bounties these past few months. 

“We didn’t kidnap him.” Dan says after a moment, Ann waving him off as she counts on her fingers, Stephen giving up on the math and throwing his arms up, letting Ann figure it out herself.

“Wait, wait.” Jay waved his hand, shifting Pillow in his other arm. “You’re not going to turn us in? Shouldn’t you be throwing us back into a jail cell and sending me to my kingdom?” He asked, squinting at Jo.

Jo raised a shoulder, half shrugging. “Technically, I should be, but these guys are my friends, and they’ve done plenty for both me and my kingdom. They’re criminals in the way they absolutely disregard the law, no doubt-” Stephen laughed from where he was on the floor, Jo rolling his eyes.

“But they’ve actually done plenty as heroes, and I’d rather have them to keep helping out.” Jo smiled, pausing at the way Jay looked confused.

“Heroes?” Jay repeats, glancing at Dan.

“Have they...have they not told you of the times they’ve-” Jo leaning back and then jolting as Stephen threw a pillow at Jo’s face, cutting him off.

“No, shush, we have a reputation! Jay still thinks we’re cool!” Ann jumped up onto her knees, putting a finger to her mouth.

“No I don’t.” Jay says, and Ann wilts from his deadpan response.

“We haven’t actually told Jay of the jobs we’ve taken up, now that I think of it.” Hosuh said, fiddling with his hair.

“We’ve just been a bit busy, you know, running from his dumb guards who won’t leave us alone!” Ann yells, shaking her fist.

Jay turns to Dan, leaning forward and glaring. “Dan, tell me about the jobs.” 

Dan raised his hands, sweating as Jay stared at him with determination in his eyes. “It’s really not much. We’ve taken up jobs with Jo, and we take care of problems around the lands whenever he asks.”

“They’ve taken care of sorcerers terrorizing my people, they broke a sleeping curse on one of my towns, drove away a giant lizard from my front gates, took care of a slime infestation-” Jo held up his fingers, listing them off.

“Oh, don’t remind me of the slime infestation, that was terrible.” Dan said, rubbing at his head. Jay hasn’t even  _ seen _ a slime before, but he already has a feeling that they’re a pain.

“Didn’t Hosuh get carried away by the slimes that time?” Ann asked, tilting her head. Hosuh makes a face, sticking out his tongue as he seems to remember back to it.

“No, that was the second time.” Stephen responded, looking through the bowl of sweets Jo had left out on the table.

Dan nudges a foot at Stephen to make him stop stealing all the candy, but Stephen just bats away Dan’s boot and scoots away, Dan huffing.

“They’re very helpful around here.” Jo tells Jay, raising a hand. “Although you guys could work on your  _ reputation _ .” Jo says, aiming his sentence at Stephen, who barely even gives him attention, shoving candy into his pockets.

“We don’t have time for that, we have things to do.” Ann waved a hand, crossing her legs.

“Like blow up a castle and kidnap a king.” Hosuh said, a laugh in his voice. 

“We take care of any problems for Jo, both because he’s our friend, and also because it’s just the right thing to do.” Dan tells Jay, beaming.

“And he pays us.” Stephen says, popping a candy into his mouth, looking up and grinning as Dan looks tempted to lunge at Stephen.

“Speaking of a job, do you guys think you could handle one at the moment?” Jo questions, clasping his hands together and smiling nervously. 

“Depends, what’s going wrong this time?” Hosuh asks, tilting his head to the side.

“It’s a small town, about a week's travel from here. There’s a huge storm like nothing I’ve seen before, and there’s been reports of ice practically covering the whole place.” Jo explains, gesturing with his hands.

“Wait, wait. Ice spikes? Huge dark looming clouds? Blue lightning?” Stephen asks, looking up.

“Yes, actually.” Jo says, seeming surprised Stephen already seems to know about it, and about the lighting.

“It seems to be a magical storm of some sort, and it’s starting to grow. I’m not sure how to fix it, and I’ve tried sending sorcerers over there to try and fix it, but they always refuse.” Jo says, as Stephen looks deep in thought.

“Stephen, do you know what it is?” Hosuh asks, turning to Stephen.

Stephen looks up, tapping at his chin. “I might. If it is what I think it is, then I have someone to murder.” Stephen says, deadpan. Ann makes a questioning face, but Stephen doesn’t explain any further.

“So, will you help?” Jo asks, already knowing the answer. They’re always looking for a new adventure, which is why they always help out. 

“Of course. We’ll go right away and-” Dan says, getting cut off.

“Your highness!” One of the guards comes in from the door, bowing to Jo and to Jay, who makes a face at being bowed to.

“There’s a group of guards at the front gate. They’re looking for him.” He waves a hand to Jay, and Jay freezes up in surprise.

“They found us already?” Ann says, standing up. Stephen and Hosuh get up with her. Jo raises a hand, telling them to stay in place.

“Are they saying they know he’s here, or are they asking if he’s here?” Jo asks, seeming to switch into an authoritative tone, sitting up straight.

His whole mood seems to change, and he goes from being friendly and slightly awkward to looking like he shouldn’t be messed with.

“Asking. We haven’t given any indication that he is here.” The guard responds, putting their hands behind their back.

Jo nods, looking to Jay. 

“I assume you don’t want to be found?” Jo asks, shrugging and smiling, a little bit of the usual nervousness coming through.

“I do  _ not _ want them to find me. We should leave.” Jay says, standing up, Dan getting up with him.

“If you say so. I’ll tell them you went the opposite way, and you guys can head on your way to the town. I’ll lend you some horses.” Jo says, standing up from his seat, the guard going to stand by the door. 

“Thanks. We’ll be sure to take care of the storm, don’t worry.” Daniel says, smiling reassuringly. 

Jo goes to say something else, but then another one of his guards runs into the room, and-

“Your highness!” Jay immediately knows something went wrong, again.

“There’s a traitor among us, someone told them about him, they know that the missing King is here!” The guard yells, looking like she sprinted over here. 

Stephen immediately has a knife in his hands, Dan is already near the door, looking out for threats, and Ann reaches behind Jay and pulls his hood over his head. Jay shakes his head, adjusting his hood as Hosuh smiles in a comforting manner.

Jay hears an explosion, seeming to be from the front gates, and everyone freezes.

Jo is the first to react. “Quick, get them to the back gates, send them off on horses. I need to tell them to stand down.” Jo says, walking out the door.

“We’ll check back as soon as we can!” Dan yells as Jo runs down the hallway. 

“Just focus on getting out first!” Jo yells back, and off he goes, doing his ruler duties. 

“Come with me, we need to move.” The guard says, and she starts running, Dan looking back and nodding at the others. They follow.

  
  
  
  
  
  


They run through the halls, eventually getting outside into the training area. It’s empty, save for a few guards who seem to be running to the front gate. 

The guard leads them to the horses, quickly opening the stables up as Daniel and Stephen work on helping the others climb on, Ann nearly kicking Dan in the head as he lifts her up.

Jay climbs onto his horse, putting Pillow in front of him, and freezes in shock as he feels something fly past his head, hitting the back of the stable. He looks behind him, and someone has shot an arrow, it seems, said arrow stuck into the wood.

“Get down!” Dan yells jumping behind cover as Jay leans down against the horse, keeping his head as low as possible, trying to peek at who shot the arrow and keeping Pillow covered.

A guard steps out, a crossbow in his hands. 

“Surrender, now.” He says, face serious.

Ann swears as Jay keeps his eyes on the crossbow that is pointed directly at their guard.

“Hand over the missing king, Jess.” The guard says, looking at the guard who had led them to the horses.

“Who the hell said I’m going with you!?” Jay yells, keeping himself over Pillow. He’s tempted to run forward and set this guy on fire, but he’d rather not leave Pillow. 

Dan is keeping a hand on his sword, seeming moments away from running forward. Jay gives him a pointed look, and after a few seconds of Jay glaring, Dan takes his hand off his sword and stays behind his cover.

“Traitor! You told them the missing king was in here!” Jess yells, spitting at the traitors feet.

“This is overly dramatic.” Stephen mumbles from where he’s kneeling by Jay’s horse. Jay hums, agreeing. At least it’s interesting.

“They’re criminals, Jess! Have you seen the bounties on them?! If we hand the missing king over, we can-”

“You went directly against our prince’s orders, fucker!” Jess screams, flipping the guard off.

“And you think I care that they’re criminals?! They saved my little brother a year back from a raiders attack!” Jess yells, pointing a finger at Hosuh, who’s smiling wide, even with the life-threatening situation. 

“So screw you!” Jess yells, tackles the traitor to the ground, yelling. She grabs the crossbow and chucks it somewhere off to the side, then punches the traitor across the face.

Ann lets out a whoop, throwing her hands up.

Dan gets up, dragging Stephen to a horse, then hops onto his own. 

Jay sits up and watches as Jess _picks_ _up_ the traitor and throws him harshly into the floor, promptly ending the fight there. She turns around, panting and running up to them. 

“Go over there, follow the path. You’ll find a gate, and that should be the direction to where you need to go.” She says, pointing a finger. Dan nods, looking to where she directed.

“Nice fighting.” Jay says, holding onto Pillow with one hand and the reins with the other.

“Pleasure, Your Majesty.” She tilts her head down, grinning. “Now go!” 

Dan goes first, and the others follow, Ann high fiving the guard as she passes.

  
  
  
  


They do find the gate, and they are able to get out, riding across the fields, Jay watching as the kingdom behind them gets farther and farther. 

“Are they going to be alright?” Jay asks, looking back.

“Jo can handle it, he’s a very capable ruler.” Daniel reassures, waving a hand.

“If Jo can handle us, he can handle anything!” Ann says, Stephen laughing and Hosuh struggling to not snort as Daniel makes a squawking noise, trying to insist they’re not that bad, then giving up, because he knows better than anybody else of how chaotic this group can be.

Hosuh catches his breath, settling his giggles. “Hey, Stephen, did you know anything about the storm? Back there, you seemed to recognize it.”

Stephen keeps his head forward but looks thoughtful, humming to himself. “I’ve seen the spell to make that type of storm before, it’s a unique type of magic. I  _ made _ it, and I know only one person who might have created a storm like that.”

“Who the heck would use spells that  _ you _ made?” Ann asks, furrowing her eyebrows.

“Someone who I’m going to launch into the air as soon as I see him.” Stephen says, his face looking to be a mix of disgruntled and strangely fond.

“Let’s just focus on getting there quickly.” Dan says, glancing back.

“But Stephen is being vague!” Ann yells, throwing her arms up. Stephen laughs at her frustration.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let's face it, y'all know who caused the storm.


	20. Not a chapter.

*hits hands together*

WELP

this fandom really cant catch a break, huh? 

Jay has left social media as a whole, and I doubt he'll ever be coming back. So.

Dan's gone. Okay. 

Jay's out of here. Alright.

Hosuh is gone for two years.

Huh. 

Really, I oughta be sobbing and being mad, but I felt that for about, oh, 30 minutes? Then I went to the "alright, time to pick up the pieces of my heart and say, FUCK IT" mood.

Really, this is all quite terrible. I do want to finish the story, I'm planning on it. I am a bit worried of others will not be liking me contining the story, but at this point?

I am telling my Goddamn Story. Stephen could say he's quitting youtube tomorrow morning and I'd say, "aight" and write on.

Because I just really want to continue this thing I've created, man. 

I know a lot of you might be a little sad (or devastated, honestly we're all sad at this point) so I'll try and get the chapter out. I'm planning on making a small fun chapter next. Adventures of a lizard and a dragon, mayhaps?

But yeah. Things may be going downhill (again, ha)

But hey! Stephen released a vid earlier today! Hes still here! Hes still kickin!

Imagine the joy the fandom will be in when Hosuh returns! I don't know about you, but I'll be ugly sobbing tears of joy, and it's going to be _Great._

And gavin! We love Gavin. If all else fails, he's that wonderful piece of sunshine that came at just the right time. Right now he's really pulling me through all of this, just with his energetic personality.

So yeah, I'll continue the story. I just thought I'd give some thoughts.

See yall soon!

-Mars


	21. Jay loves his dragon! (We been knew)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IM HERE IM HERE
> 
> in my defense, things have been HECTIC
> 
> but, im already working on the next chapter, and I'm back in the writing mood.
> 
> A bit of a fluff(??) chapter for yall today, I feel like we all need it.

Jay slowly wakes up to the slightest sunlight hitting his eyes. The ground is hard and dusty underneath him, and as he turns to try and get away from the sun, something clinks.

He snaps his eyes open and sits up, looking around. He’s in a empty room. The floor and walls are made of concrete, there’s a single window, by the wall, where the light was coming from. 

He stares at it, blinking. This is his room. This is  _ his  _ room. From his castle.

Jay breathes in sharply, fully realizing it. He sits back, a small feeling of panic unfurling in his chest. 

Something pulls at his wrist, and he looks and sees that there are chains around his wrist, his ankles. Just like last time, but worse. 

What’s happening?! Last he remembered, he was safe, with the group, resting as they were on the way to the town.

He turns to the window. It’s open only the slightest bit, a small sliver of sunlight coming through. He stares at the window, willing for Dan to appear, anything.

Steps sound from the hall, outside his door. He gasps, getting to his feet, tugging at the chains. He tries to turn on his fire, but it isn’t working. He can’t use it.

The steps come closer, and Jay falls back, kicking his legs and scooting into the corner, eyes glancing at the window, waiting, hoping for the others to appear.

The steps stop in front of his door, and the doorknob turns, the door opening and-

  
  
  
  
  


Jay wakes up with a jolt, sitting up, breathing hard.

“Woah, woah, woah!” Ann is frantically patting at the ground with her bag, seeming to put out a small fire. After a moment of hitting the ground over and over, she raises her bag up, seeing the fire successfully put out.

“Hey.” Ann puts her bag to the side, smiling at Jay, who’s heart is still racing and is still on ‘fight or flight’ mode.

Jay looks around, taking in his surroundings as Ann whispers comforting words. Hosuh and Stephen are asleep, Pillow curled up in the middle of them as they snore. There’s a bonfire, of which Jay faintly remembers lighting before he went to sleep. Dan is sleeping peacefully beside Jay as he snores into the night.

Jay finally snaps back to Ann, looking at her. 

“Are you okay?” Ann asks, tilting her head. 

“...Y-Yeah. I just had a weird dream.” Jay responds, carefully moving away from Dan so as to not accidentally set  _ him _ on fire.

“Oh, nightmare? Uhm, well, geez, I don’t know how to deal with those, Dan’s better at comforting people than I am.” Ann says, reaching out to Jay. “He always says something like take deep breaths and- Fuck!” Ann jerks her hands away, letting go of Jay’s hand just as she went to grab it.

Jay scoots towards Ann, hands raised carefully. “Are you okay?”

“You’re burning! Ouch.” Ann waves her hand, blowing on it. “Side effect of your magic?”

“I guess? I mean, I just set a fire while asleep, so.” Jay shrugs. He’s still figuring out his fire these days, and while he’s gotten way better at using it, he doesn’t quite know everything about it yet.

Ann waves a hand. “Hush, I don’t have common sense.” She looks at her hand, shrugging to herself. “Eh, I’ve burnt myself worse with cooking bacon.” 

“Want to go sit over there? We might wake them up.” She says, pointing a finger at the fire and tilting her head to Dan.

Jay glances at all of them, fiddling with Dan’s sword. He stands up, walking to the fire as Ann follows, yawning.

They sit down, Jay reaching out a hand to the fire, enjoying the way the flames just barely touch his fingertips. Ann makes a weird face at Jay nearly sticking his hand into the fire, but she seems to shrug it off. 

“So.” Ann says, crossing her legs. She grabs a stick, drawing in the dirt with it.

“So?” Jay asks, his hands over the fire. 

“Are you going to tell me what you were dreaming about?” Ann questions, drawing a smiley face.

Jay looks back at the fire, humming. “It wasn’t much.”

“Really? Because you looked  _ really _ scared when you woke up.” Ann responds, keeping her eyes on the dirt as Jay looks at her. She starts on drawing a small person, dragging the stick across the damp dirt.

Jay doesn’t respond for a moment, and Ann waits patiently, doodling on the ground. 

“I dreamed I woke up back in my castle, but with more chains this time around.” Jay says softly, glancing at the others sleeping.

Ann makes a noise to affirm she’s listening, continuing with her drawing. 

Jay huffs. "It just threw me off. Thought I had been somehow dragged back to the castle that I've been actively trying to avoid these past weeks, with no memory of it."

"Well, you know, even if you  _ were  _ dragged back to the castle, we would break you out in like a single night." Ann states, looking up.

"Yeah, I know." Jay points a finger behind him to the others sleeping. "They blew up the front doors of my castle last time for a  _ distraction _ , I have no clue what they would do if I was actually  _ in  _ the castle." Jay said, thinking back to the chaos of what was supposed to be a wedding. 

Ann laughs, throwing her stick to the side. Jay glanced at her drawing to see a small doodle of Hosuh. 

"But really, are you good? Like, I know you can get scared sometimes, or really, more like, worried?” Ann smacks a hand into her head. “Ah, I dunno what to say! Look at this doodle of Hosuh, that’s comforting, right?” Ann waves her hands at the drawing in the dirt.

Jay holds back a laugh. “It’s almost as great as the real Hosuh.” 

Ann huffs, slouching. “Maybe we should just wake up Dan for this.”

“No, don’t go waking up Dan, I’m being plenty comforted by this amazing drawing of Hosuh.” Jay says, the slightest sarcasm in his voice. 

“Shuddup, I’m no good with words!” Ann throws a stick at Jay.

“Clearly.” Jay says, enjoying Ann’s gasp of offense.

Ann shakes her head, getting up and sitting by Jay. She holds her arms out, waiting expectantly.

“What.” Jay asks, wondering what she’s doing.

“Hug!” Ann says, like it should be incredibly obvious.

“No, I don’t need a hug.”

“Yes, you do, because I said so.” Ann tilts her chin up, trying to look extremely confident. Jay notes it just makes her look like her neck is hurting.

“You can’t just say, ‘because I said so’ and expect me to-”

“Why not? Dan always does it.”

“Dan’s  _ Dan _ . He’s the only one who can say that and make even Stephen sometimes listen. And even then, that’s not a valid reason.” Jay crosses his arms as Ann shakes her arms around, still waiting for a hug.

“Stop being stubborn and Stephen-y!” Ann complains.

“You’re-” Jay raises a finger, ready to point out how Ann used Stephen as an adjective.

“What are you two doing?”

Jay nearly yells, while Ann lets out a squeak and falls to the ground, the two of them turning around to see Dan standing behind them, rubbing at his eyes.

“I get why Ann’s up, but Jay, shouldn’t you be asleep?” Dan says, putting his hands on his hips. 

“Jay had a nigh-mhph!” Jay slaps a hand over Ann’s mouth before she says anything else. 

“Wha-hey, guys-” Dan kneels down to sit with them as Jay yelps and pulls his hand back.

“Did you  _ bite  _ me?” Jay says, holding his hand to his chest like Ann might go after it.

“You interrupted my sentence!” Ann points a finger, pouting.

Dan hits them both on the head gently, getting their attention. “It’s far too late for this.” He says, glancing at the stars above them. “Both of you, go to sleep. I’ll take the next watch.”

Ann squints her eyes at Jay for a moment, then gets up. “Fine, but I’m sleeping in tomorrow!”

“No, you’re not.” Dan says, yawning and making himself comfortable by the fire. 

Jay gets up with Ann, going to where he was sleeping earlier.

He sits down, glancing at Pillow, who is sleeping on top of Hosuh’s head, then jolts as Ann rushes in from the side, giving him a hug. Jay hugs her back, smiling, Ann jumping over him and making herself comfortable in the grass.

Jay lays down, sighing softly to himself, content. 

Ann definitely stole his wallet during that hug, but the sentiment was still appreciated.

  
  
  
  


The next morning consists of Hosuh somehow getting set on fire, Ann getting stuck in a tree and Dan having to climb up to get her down, and also the bacon is burnt.

The bacon is the worst tragedy of this whole journey, really. Stephen still eats it, even with Dan yelling not to, but still, burnt bacon.

They pack up, Dan trying to get them moving before Ann gets stuck in a tree again, and off they go, riding along on their horses.

They ride for a while, Dan at the front, leading the way with a map, when Jay notices Pillow isn’t with him. He glances to the others to see if they had Pillow, but he doesn’t see the usual red-gray scales anywhere.

There’s a split second of panic and wondering if they forgot his dragon at the campsite and Jay is a half second from turning his horse around and booking it back to his dragon, but he notices something in the corner of his eye, flying in the sky.

“Holy shit!” He immediately stops his horse, scrambling to get off. 

The others stop, Hosuh asking what’s wrong, but Jay is sprinting into the fields, smiling wide. He keeps his eyes on the sky, nearly tripping a few times as he runs, slowing to a stop and grinning to the clouds. 

Pillow is flying happily in the air, circling around Jay, who is near tears on the ground. 

Ann is leaping off her horse to join Jay, tumbling down on the ground and picking herself back up, jumping up and down in excitement.

“When did Pillow learn to fly?” Stephen mumbles, enjoying the sight of Pillow soaring through the clouds. 

“I guess we just hadn’t noticed when we were traveling?” Hosuh shrugs from behind Stephen, smiling up at the dragon.

“Dan! Jay is crying!” Ann yells, cupping her hands over her mouth. Jay lets out a tearful cheer, kneeling down on the ground and throwing up a fist.

“Give me a moment!” Dan responds, climbing off his horse to go help Jay.

Pillow flies down onto the ground, landing roughly on the ground and rolling to where Jay was. Jay still yells out praise either way.

  
  
  
  
  
  


The next week is fairly tame, for this group at least. 

A pack of wolves tried to attack them as they passed by, the wolves snapping at Hosuh’s leg as they all screamed and rode away on the horses. Hosuh did get away with his leg intact, thankfully, although he ended up kicking one of the wolves in the face accidently and felt bad about it for a whole hour while Stephen kept trying to remind him the wolf was literally TRYING TO RIP HIS LEG OFF.

(“Poor wolf…” 

“Hosuh, your boot is missing and you’re also bleeding out of your foot, do  _ not _ feel sorry for the wolf.”

“Wait, Hosuh’s boot is missing?!”)

Pillow dropped a dead bird onto Dan in the middle of the night when he was sleeping. Dan had screeched and woke everyone up, but he did thank Pillow for the gift later, even if he was a bit unsettled by waking up to a random dead bird on him. Pillow seemed very proud.

Ann had somehow ended up falling off her horse halfway, hanging off it and screaming at the top of her lungs, holding on for dear life as Dan tried to stop the horse and help her up. She thankfully didn’t end up falling off, Dan being able to grab her in time. The whole hour after she kept yelling over how her entire life flashed before her eyes. 

Pillow seemed to still be trying to get the hang of flying. He would fly above them as they rode the horses along, Jay loving how he could look up and Pillow would be soaring above them, occasionally letting out a roar which always sounded more like a squeak.

Pillow had a hard fall, and ended up losing not one, not two, but  _ three _ teeth in the span of two days. Jay was hesitant to let Pillow fly after that, but he allowed it, keeping the teeth and tying them together, hanging it around his neck.

No, he did  _ not  _ cry, Stephen, shut up, yes he’s wearing the baby teeth necklace, blame yourself for that one, no, I’m not giving you a tooth, stab me all you’d like, over my dead  _ body _ .

Fast forward, they did get to the town, all of them ready for what was to come. 

Although, now that he is looking at the state of the town, the five of them riding up, Pillow flying above them, Jay does not at all feel very ready.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter is going to be such a rollercoaster, hahaha


	22. Icy reunions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ice ice, baby. (I just had to say that once, don't judge me)
> 
> Not much to say other than, my school shut down because of that corona thing going around, so I'll probably be updating a little more frequently. Look forward to that!
> 
> Anyway, enjoy the chapter. Lots of plot in this one.

  
  


The town definitely looked like it was going through  _ something _ . As they approached, there was a huge looming cloud overhead, dimming the sun and giving everything an unsettling shadow.

Jay noticed that as they got closer, the grass on the ground had frost on it, and the air seemed to chill, Jay shivering and pulling his cloak tighter to him. Putting two fingers to his mouth, he whistled high, Pillow coming down from above them.

Pillow landed awkwardly by Jay, walking with his horse in the grass. Jay patted behind him, and Pillow flew up, sitting behind him on the horse. 

Pillow had grown big enough to the point where could no longer sit on Jay’s shoulder without making Jay tip over, and Jay had to use both his arms if he wanted to carry Pillow anywhere. 

Pillow was growing these days, and Jay was both extremely happy and wanting to sob because his dragon had been so  _ small _ , and now one day he was going to be taller than Jay. The day where Jay would be able to ride on top of Pillow would be a chaotic one, he’s sure. 

“Wow.” Hosuh mumbled, pulling Jay out of his thoughts. They had arrived at the village, Jay stopped his horse, looking around and seeing the condition of the building around him.

There was ice everywhere, a few spikes of ice here and there, some even going  _ through _ the houses. Everything seemed to have frost on it, and it was completely deserted from what he could see. 

They all got off their horses, deciding to continue on foot. 

“What happened here? This is  _ way _ more intense than anything we’ve ever seen.” Ann asked, walking up to a house that was practically destroyed by two ice spikes.

“Maybe it’s- Shoot!” Jay watched as Hosuh slipped on ice, falling backward and taking Dan down with him. Stephen started laughing as Hosuh apologized for falling on Dan. 

“Hosuh! Don’t walk on the-” Ann went to saying, then yelled as she too, slipped on the ice, falling onto her face. Stephen laughed even louder, leaning forward as Dan tiredly asked if she was okay. 

“Ja-” Stephen laughed again, cutting himself off, then taking a deep breath, “Jay, I swear, if you fall too, I’m going to die.” 

Jay snickered, shrugging, staying in place and wisely not moving as he held Pillow in his arms, looking at the ice on the ground around them.

He then noticed that there wasn’t any ice around him. He spun around, taking a few steps and realized that the ice seemed to melt before he got to it.

“I can’t slip on ice, it’s all just melting.” He said, as Dan helped Hosuh up. Ann just sat up and started sliding around on the floor. 

“Wait a minute,” Stephen said, looking to Jay’s feet. “It is!”

“That’s not fair! If we slip on the ice, so do you!” Ann complained, throwing her arms towards Jay’s direction. 

She then kicked her legs against a house, sliding across the ice at full speed and knocking into Stephen, grabbing his legs and pulling him to the ground. Stephen swore loudly as he fell, Ann cackling evilly.

“Ann, stop sliding across the ice, you’re going to get your clothes wet.” Dan said, smiling as Stephen cursed Ann, struggling to get up. Ann tackled Stephen, the two of them sliding into a wall.

Hosuh turned suddenly, looking on guard. 

“What’s wrong?” Dan asked, looking to where Hosuh was looking.

“I hear people calling for help. We need to-” Housh started to run, Dan grabbing Hosuh by the arm as Hosuh nearly fell on the ice again.

“You gotta slide, Hos!” Stephen said, standing up and then lunging forward, sliding down the street on his knees. Ann followed suit, jumping and sliding on her back, throwing up a peace sign as she went.

“Or, you could just follow me.” Jay said, moving forward and walking easily, the ice melting under his feet. Hosuh and Dan followed right behind him.

They arrived at a house, half of it destroyed by a huge ice spike, some of it collapsed. There seemed to be people inside.

“Help! There’s people in here, and I can’t get the door open!” Someone called on the other side, banging on the door.

“We’ll get you out, hold on!” Dan called back, observing the ice covering the house. The door seemed to be frozen over, and he kicked at it twice before realizing that it wasn’t going to budge.

“Jay, can you try melting the ice without burning the house down?” Dan asked, taking a few steps back.    
  


Jay handed Pillow to Hosuh, walking up. “I can try.” He put his hands to the door, heating up his hands and watching the door slowly melt. “Get back!” He yelled to the people inside, and he raised a leg, kicking the door open, some ice flying to the side.

The people inside came out, giving thanks and shivering, covered in blankets. Hosuh and Ann helped them sit on the now thawed out ground that Jay had melted earlier. 

Stephen walked to the door, leaning into the house. “Is that everyone?” 

“No, hold on! There’s a lady here who needed some help.” Someone said, walking out and assisting a woman with a limp.

Dan nearly fell on the ice again as he saw  _ Elias _ walk out, the women thanking them and going with the others. 

Elias shook his head, frost falling off it and turned to Stephen, freezing in place. 

“Holy shit,  _ Stephen _ ?” He swore, Stephen looking just as thrown off. “What are you doing here?” Elias asked, back facing Dan, who was standing off to the side, Hosuh patting him on the shoulder comfortably.

“Uh.” Stephen hardly responded, instead looking with wide eyes to Dan.

Elias turned around, and finally saw Daniel, who was looking at Elias with wide eyes, like he was his brother who he hadn’t seen in years ever since he ran from home with his best friends. Which he was.

“Hey, Elia-” Dan yelled as Elias sprinted up to him, tackling him to the ground, screaming.

“Oh my god! Daniel! Look at you!” Elias sat up, pulling Dan up and shaking him gently by his armor. “You guys are okay!”

“You look the same as the last time I saw you.” Dan responded, laughing. “Dorky.”

Elias shook his head, knocking Dan on the head and helping him to his feet. “Oh my god, you’re almost as tall as me. And you have a sword! You-”

“I’m still not as tall as you?!” Dan exclaimed, standing on his toes. 

Elias hugged Dan once more, properly, then let go and slapped Dan across the face, both Ann and Stephen breaking out in laughter in the background.

“What was that for!?” Dan yelled, holding a hand to his cheek and glaring Stephen and Ann who were trying to not laugh. Well, Ann was, Stephen was straight out cackling.

“That’s for leaving so suddenly.” Elias said, holding up a finger. “Although, I guess you made the right call.” Elias said, crossing his arms.

Dan hugged Elias again. “I’m sorry, it’s just, that night Dad was-”

“I know.” Elias said, cutting Dan off, already knowing. “I just worried.” Elias mumbled, patting Dan on the back. Dan pulled back, smiling. 

“Wait a minute, is that a  _ dragon _ ?” Elias said, noticing Hosuh with Pillow in his arms. 

“Kinda a long story, includes him too, that’s Jay, by the way.” Dan said, pointing to Jay who waved. “But, yeah the dragon’s name is Pillow, and basically-”

“I WANNA TELL THE STORY!” Ann yelled, Elias jumping. “Okay, so sit down, once upon a time…” Ann dragged Elias to the ground, Elias looking both confused and like he didn’t really want to listen to a story but it’s not like he had a choice with the way Ann was already starting, sound effects and all.

Dan walked to the others, leaving Ann with his brother.

“So, any ideas on how to fix this whole town?” Dan asked, putting his hands on his hips.

“I’m sure my fire could help some, but I can’t melt  _ all _ of this.” Jay shrugged, looking to the ice spike that was much taller than him.

“I talked to the townspeople, apparently they’ve been staying in the town instead of evacuating. The ice refreezes every now and then, but they’re not planning on leaving, even though it’s growing.” Hosuh said, nodding to the people who were sitting on the ground.

“Then we tackle the source.” Stephen pointed a hand up, to an ice spike at the center of the town, towering over all the others. 

“How do you know that’s where the source is?” Hosuh asked, looking at the ice spike, noting it almost seemed to be glowing blue.

“I just do, Hosuh, I’m just that great.” Stephen responded, grinning.

Dan shook his head, snorting and ignoring Stephen’s gasp of offense. “Let’s start making our way there, then. The sooner we can get this done, the better.”

Jay carefully took Pillow from Hosuh, and nodded, Dan walking ahead and calling Ann.

“Elias, you should stay with these people, we-” Dan started, wringing his hands.

“I’m going with you.” Elias said, standing up.

“We can meet back up, you don’t have to-” Dan waved his hands, trying to get Elias to stay.

“I’m going.” Elias repeated, his mind made up. Dan shook his head, turning around. Jay went forward, ice melting under his boots and the ground following behind him.

They stopped at a few houses here and there, people peering out of their homes and staring at their group, sometimes them having to help unfreeze a few doors. 

Eventually, they did arrive at the main ice spike, and as they walked up, Jay noted that there was what seemed to be a church at the base of the spike. Or at least, what used to be a church, it was half destroyed by now.

Jay breathed out, his breath visible in the air. He turned on his fire, just barely, enough to warm him up and walked forward, melting the ice around him. The others looked around for an entrance.

“Over here!” Ann called out, pointing up to an opening over a chunk of ice. 

“Everyone up.” Dan said, standing under the opening. Stephen went first, Dan lifting him up and dodging as Stephen nearly kicked him in the face climbing up. 

Elias walked up, standing by Dan and helping with lifting the others up. Ann had almost kicked Dan in the face as well. Hosuh nearly slipped and fell, Elias catching him and helping him climb up again. Jay slightly melted the ice as he went up, whistling once inside, Pillow flying and easily going through the opening. Dan lifted Elias, who was pulled up by Ann and Hosuh. 

“Wait, what about Dan?” Elias asked, looking back.

“I got it! Back up.” Dan said, taking a few steps back. He ran forward, running up the wall and grabbing onto the ledge, pulling himself over. 

Elias stared at him, Dan shrugging. “I’m really good at climbing.”

“Guys.” Stephen said, reminding them of their objective. 

They walked through the church, all of them stopping at the sight before them.

There was a high ledge of ice, towering over them, almost seeming to be glowing. On the top, there, half-encased in the ice was Gavin, shivering and holding a hand to the ice.

“Wait, is that...” Hosuh trailed off.

“GAVIN!” Stephen yelled, stomping a foot on the ground. “You little shit!” 

Gavin looked to them, face surprised. “Wha-Stephen? You-”

Stephen ran forward, taking out a knife and jumping up, using his telekinesis just barely to lift him up higher. He struck the knife into the ice, using it as a grip as he pulled himself up the rest of the way, jumping at Gavin as Gavin started yelling.

“Wait, Stephen-” Gavin started, raising his hand.

“I don’t see you for what, like, five years-” Stephen yelled, kneeling down on the ice.

“It’s six, actually, I’ve been counting-OW!” Gavin yelled as Stephen pulled at his ear.

“And then I  _ do _ see you and you’re off cursing the town with a spell I told you  _ not _ to use-”

“It was an accident, I swear, WAIT PUT THE KNIFE DOWN THAT’S NOT FAIR-” Gavin started smacking his hands at Stephen who was hitting back. “My leg is literally stuck  _ in _ the ice, bro-”

“Too bad, shouldn't have summoned all this  _ ice _ then!” Stephen said, raising his knife as Gavin screeched.

Down on the ground, the other’s watched as the two brothers had a,  _ interesting, _ reunion, Daniel face palming while Jay watched them bicker with amusement.

Thankfully, Stephen didn’t go stabbing Gavin, and instead started chipping away at the ice around him, Ann going “awww man” at wanting to see Stephen go off on someone. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For some background:
> 
> From a young age, Hosuh, Stephen, and Dan have been friends. One day, it came out that Stephen was capable of necromancy and other types of magic, and that wasn't quite accepted in their town. He wasn't allowed to improve on it and eventually Dan's dad had told Daniel to stay away from Stephen, saying he was dangerous.
> 
> Dan ,of course, disagreed, not listening and arguing, trying to defend Stephen. Things got heated and Dan made up his mind to follow his dream of going to travel the lands with his friends and ran away. 
> 
> So, they all ran together, Hosuh and Stephen at age 16, Dan 17. This whole story takes place about 6 years later. 
> 
> If you want a little more on the background, I have the story I wrote up from Hosuh's POV, called Right Here. It shows when exactly they ran from their town.
> 
> But yeah, plot!
> 
> Till next week yall! much love.


	23. The start of a whole damn roller coaster

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, yes, hello, I've got nothing to say other than enjoy the chap.

“Dude, careful, you are going to end up stabbing- OW!” Gavin yelled, Stephen stopping with his attempt on chipping the ice off Gavin. 

“Okay, this isn’t working.” Stephen mumbled, putting a hand to his chin, ignoring how Gavin was complaining. He turned to the others, who were waiting patiently on the ground, looking up. 

Well, Dan and Elias were waiting, Ann had started a snowball fight behind them, Hosuh reluctantly retaliating against her while Jay hid behind cover, Pillow sitting next to him. Jay peeked over the cover, snorting as a snowball hit Hosuh right in the face, Ann letting out a cheer.

“Jay! Come over here, I need you to melt this ice.” Stephen yelled, watching Jay scramble to the ground as a snowball flew over his head.

“Ann! Stop throwing snowballs, Hosuh is already dead!” Dan yelled, waving his arms to Hosuh, who was laying on the ground, face in the snow.

“Victory!” Ann yelled back, Jay sprinting past her as she stood by Hosuh, throwing her fists up.

“Ow.” Hosuh mumbled into the ground.

Dan sighed, Elias looking at him curiously as Dan kneeled down to the ground, making a snowball and sending it flying, right into Ann’s face. Ann fell back screaming, landing onto the floor next to Hosuh.

Jay laughed as Ann took her defeat, saying to Hosuh of how they both needed to gang up on Dan later.

“Jay!” Stephen called again, Jay walking up to the ledge of ice.

“Well, how am I supposed to get up there?” Jay asked, putting his hands on his hips, looking up at Stephen.

“Climb up or something.” Stephen responded, voice deadpan.

“Ah, yes, climb up a solid ledge of ice, that just goes straight up,  _ surely _ I won’t have any difficulty doing that.” Jay said, sarcasm evident in his voice. He took a few steps back, thinking. Pillow sat by his feet, squealing at him. Jay gave him a pat on the head. 

He took a few more steps backwards, the others on the ground looking at him and waiting for what he was going to do. Ann was still laying on the ground, but Hosuh was sitting up, staring curiously, as Dan and Elias also watched.

Breathing in sharply, he sprinted forward, flames bursting to life in his hands. He leaped up, fingers digging into the ice and the ice immediately melting underneath his fingertips, making a ledge for him to grab onto. 

He kicked his legs against the ice, reaching another hand up doing the same, melting holes into the ice for him to climb up. 

He slipped halfway up, yelping as he lost his footing, feet dangling for a moment before he was able to find a ledge to kick off of.

Ann yelled from the floor, screaming, “Go Jay!” as she threw snow up into the air. 

Jay laughed, pulling himself up all the way, Stephen grabbing him by the arm as he got to the top. 

Stephen jerked back, swearing and waving his hand. “Ow, ow, remind me to not touch you when you’re literally on  _ fire _ .” Stephen said as Jay’s flames flickered out, Jay patting his hands on the ice.

Jay looked to the floor, whistling. Pillow flew up, landing next to him in no time.

“Okay, let’s see if I can get him out of here without setting him on fire.” Jay said, cracking his knuckles and turning to Gavin.

“I’m having second thoughts, you can leave me in here, it’s totally fine-” Gavin waved a hand, laughing nervously.

“You’ll be fine. Probably. Maybe. You might not die, so there’s a plus!” Stephen exclaimed, clapping his hands together. 

“That is  _ not _ a plus!” Gavin protested, as Stephen yelled at him to stay still, Jay lighting one of his hands on fire.

Down on the ground, Dan shook his head, ignoring the way Gavin was shrieking. Behind him, Ann took a snowball from the ground, placing one into Hosuh’s hand and grabbing one for herself. 

She raised up three fingers, counting down as Hosuh raised a snowball, face determined. As they both raised her arms, Dan turned around, giving them an unimpressed glare, both of them freezing in place.

Hosuh dropped his snowball onto the ground while Ann looked away, trying to give off an innocent appearance.

Dan yelled as a snowball smacked him in the side of the head, Elias being the culprit. 

Dan rubbed the snow off his face, turning to Elias, who raised his hands, grinning. 

The moment was interrupted by Gavin yelling, having been pushed off the ledge, falling down. He stopped right before hitting the ground, glowing purple, then dropping face first into the snow as Stephen flicked off his magic.

Stephen and Jay jumped down, landing into a pile of snow. 

“Okay, Gavin’s out.” Stephen said cheerfully, standing up. Dan glanced at the burn marks on Gavin’s shirt, shrugging it off.

“Not a fun experience, never again, oh my god-” Gavin mumbled, pushing himself off the ground. 

“Hey, come on! Kid! We still have this curse thing to deal with.” Stephen said, dragging Gavin to his feet and waving an arm around to the ice everywhere. 

“Yeah, I know, I know! Give me a moment, you pushed me off a  _ ledge _ !” Gavin threw a punch at Stephen’s arm, crossing his arms.

“You slipped, I did nothing.” Stephen responded, putting his hands up. 

“Lying liar who lies.” Gavin mumbled under his breath. He looked up to the roof of the church, observing the giant spike going through it. “Any idea on how to stop it?”

“You mean you don’t know how?!” Hosuh asked, putting his hands to his face.

“Stephen is the one who made the curse, not me! I just found it in the books he left behind.” Gavin defended.

“You looked through my books!? I literally told you to never use those!” Stephen said, crossing his arms as Gavin looked away.

“I didn’t! Just this one.” Gavin waved to the ice around him. “And this was totally on accident. I was actually sleeping…” Gavin trailed off, rubbing the back of his neck.

“You cursed an entire town  _ accidentally _ , while asleep?” Stephen asked, raising an eyebrow. “Okay, that’s a little impressive, I’ll give you that much, but now we gotta fix this.” Stephen shrugged, looking up to the ice everywhere.

Gavin beamed brightly, Stephen rolling his eyes and walking to the center of the church.

“So, how are you guys going to-Woah!” Dan yelled as the ice under his feet suddenly grew, frost at the edges of his boots.

Everyone else stumbled around, the church seeming to refreeze itself, the temperature dropping. 

Hosuh picked up Pillow from the ground, watching as Ann struggled with pulling her foot that was halfway frozen into the ground.

“Okay, come on. Let’s hurry this along.” Stephen said, turning and facing Gavin, his breath visible in the air. “Gimme your hands.”

Gavin hesitantly joined hands with Stephen, Stephen jolting as frost trailed up his sleeves the moment Gavin grabbed his hands.

Jay kneeled down to the ground, palms laid out against the floor, breathing in deeply and blowing out steam, the ground melting around him and raising the temperature around the others. 

Dan and Elias took a step back, Dan pulling Ann with him as Hosuh took a few steps back with Pillow in his arms.

“Should I stop?” Jay asked, watching at the ice seemed to try freezing again, getting melted by Jay.

“No, keep that up, or else we'll probably freeze.” Stephen answered. “Okay, you repeat the curse, and I’ll counter it. Hopefully, it’ll cancel it out. Or it might make it worse, we’ll see.” He said to Gavin, who glanced nervously at his feet, noticing the way the ground froze under him.

“What?!” Dan exclaimed at Stephen saying the curse could get worse, shivering.

Stephen shrugged, grinning.

Hosuh kneeled behind cover with Pillow as Gavin mumbled a few words, seeming to struggle on remembering properly. Stephen talked with him, barely stumbling on his pronunciations. 

There seemed to be a blue mist swirling around them both, and Dan noticed with shock that Gavin had ice freezing rapidly under his feet, traveling across him and onto Stephen, who winced, not stopping with his incantations.

Gavin looked worriedly at Stephen, closing his eyes and continuing with the spell as Stephen tried to not focus on the ice trailing up his leg.

Jay huffed, getting up and walking to the two of them, placing his hand on Stephen's shoulder and melting off the frost, steam coming out of his mouth as he looked up to the blue mist swirling around. 

Their mumbling seemed to get quieter and quieter, the mist growing and whistling as it flew through the church. Jay focused on keeping his fire up, watching as the sound got louder, both Gavin and Stephen almost whispering to each other at this point, and everything went bright blue.

  
  
  
  
  


Jay came to, shivering, breathing out steam, noticing that Pillow was nudging at his side. Jay slowly sat up, looking around, noticing the huge spike in the roof was gone, leaving a big hole, showing the clear sky, the cloud having disappeared. 

“Jay!” Dan said, running up to him. “You good? We all kinda blacked out.” Dan said, pulling Jay to his feet. Pillow bumped his head against Jay’s thigh, Jay giving a comforting pat on the head.

Jay looked at the others in the church. Hosuh was helping Ann up, who was half in the snow. Elias was standing by Hosuh, looking concerned at Ann as she yelled about snow in her boot.

Dan looked worriedly around, making a face. “Where’s Stephen and Gavin?”

Everyone looked to Dan, noticing the brothers weren’t in sight. Hosuh walked around, stopping as his foot hit something in the snow. 

He kneeled down, grabbing at a sheet of ice. “Dan, come help me!” 

Dan ran over, pushing the ice up, the others crowding around to see what was under. 

Stephen and Gavin laid there, passed out, Stephen having thrown an arm over Gavin as Gavin shivered on the ground, trying to hold on to his brother. Frost laid on both of them, and Jay noticed that the end of Gavin’s shirt was frozen. 

Stephen half opened his eyes, groaning and looking up at them. “Oh, hey.”

  
  
  
  


They were able to get out of the church, Hosuh giving potions to both Stephen and Gavin and Jay melting the frost off of all of them.

They walked out onto the streets, Ann jumping back at the sudden applause of the townspeople, who ran out of their houses, yelling praise. 

All of them brushed the cheering off, Dan and Elias having to refuse multiple gift baskets, Hosuh and Jay awkwardly letting people shake their hands, Ann taking all of the gifts with much joy, and Stephen having a disgruntled expression as people kept giving him flowers.

“I think I prefer getting chased by royal guards than this.” Stephen said, shoving some flowers at Gavin, who laughed even as flowers were being shoved at his face. 

Hosuh smiled, noticing that Pillow was nowhere to be found.

He glanced around, spotting two people who were sprinting off, the crowd not noticing as they turned the corner into a destroyed house. 

Hosuh glanced at the others, who were still being thanked by the townspeople, and followed, running out of the crowd, quiet as he went quickly, stepping into the destroyed home, some remains of ice still around. 

He walked into one of the rooms, steps quiet, and peeked over the corner, watching.

He gasped at seeing two men grabbing at Pillow, Pillow screeching and struggling as they tied a rope around his snout, pushing him into a box. 

“What are you doing!? Stop it!” Hosuh yelled, running forward and summoning his staff. 

The men turned to him with shocked faces, Hosuh sprinting forward and swinging his staff down, the guard grabbing it before it could hit his head. 

“Wait, isn’t this one of the people who traveled with our king as well?” One of the men said, pulling out a sword.

Hosuh realized with a chill that these people were guards from Jay’s kingdom. Whether they were trying to take Pillow for bribing or getting back at Jay, he doesn’t know, he just pulls his staff out of the man’s hand, stumbling back.

Hosuh a few steps back, noticing a third man coming into the room, yelling about who the hell is Hosuh and why is he here.

Hosuh takes another swing at one of the men’s heads again, yelling as they pull the staff out of his hand, Hosuh stumbling back.

There's three of them, he's outnumbered and they have weapons on hand. He needs the others, he needs help,  _ right now _ .

"Grab him! Don't let him-" One of them yell, making a grab at Hosuh.

Hosuh dodges back, nearly hitting the wall. He glances at their swords and at the covered exit, deciding the best course of action. 

He takes a deep breath in, ignoring the way the guards raise their swords,

  
and  _ screams _ .

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll take a moment to tell ya that this story has a guaranteed happy ending and that everyone will be Fine. Although we are gonna have a lot of fun in the next few chapters. (Also Pillow will be okay no worries bro)


	24. Dan isn't tolerating your dumb arguments

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nearly one in the morning, kinda tired, kinda proud, enjoy the chap.

Dan and the others are still at the front of the church, the townspeople still giving their thanks and looking at them in awe. Dan laughs awkwardly as a little old lady offers a small money bag as a thanks.

“Oh, no thank you, that’s very kind-” Dan turns it down, waving his hands.

“I’ll take that! He’s just modest, what a kind leader, huh?” Ann swipes the bag of gold, wrapping an arm around Dan as he gives Ann a look, face disgruntled.

Dan shakes her arm off as she strikes up a conversation, Dan going to Elias, who is holding a basket full of fruit.

“Where did you get that?” Dan asks, grabbing an apple. 

“No clue. Someone handed it to me, and then no one would take it back.” Elias responds, looking at Dan wearily.

Dan munches down on the apple, looking at Stephen and Gavin, who are throwing flowers at each other, the townspeople watching and cheering from the sidelines. 

Gavin grabs a whole bouquet of roses from the floor, running up to Stephen and smacking him across the face with it. Stephen grabs the roses out of Gavin’s hand, relentlessly smacking him over the head with them as Gavin yells for mercy.

Dan shakes his head, holding up the apple for another bite, suddenly pausing and holding the apple in midair, Elias giving him a weird look.

Somethings wrong. Call it sixth sense or something, but Dan knows something is  _ wrong _ . He starts a head count.

“You okay?” Elias asks, watching Dan throw the apple to the side.

“Where’s Hosuh? Where’s Jay?” Dan asks, walking forward to Stephen, briskly making his way through the crowd.

“Stephen!” Dan calls, Stephen immediately pausing from smacking Gavin in the head with a flower, looking up and noticing his tone of voice.

Ann notices it too, running through the crowd, stopping by Dan.

“Where’s Hosuh and Jay? I think-” Dan starts to say, getting cut off.

They all freeze, the crowd going quiet as Hosuh screams from far off.

Gavin somehow reacts first, ducking under Stephen’s arm and sprinting, speeding across the street. The others go to follow, slowing as they hear screams from the back of the crowd.

Dan glances back to see two guards dressed in full black armor, striking down the townspeople and attacking everyone near them. 

“Dan!” Ann says, tugging Dan along.

“We have to help!” Dan yells, pausing. 

Stephen stops in his tracks, watching Gavin go ahead and turning back to Dan, eyes wide. “What about Hosuh?!”

Elias shoves Dan, grabbing Dan’s sword and unsheathing it, nodding his head to Dan. 

“This is probably a distraction or something! Go get Hosuh!” Elias yells, running to the guards and holding the sword high.

Dan doesn’t look back, trusting his brother as Ann pulls him along, Stephen running.

They get to the house where they can hear Hosuh, Gavin just slipping through the door as they arrive. The ice crumbles right behind him, crashing down and blocking the entrance, Gavin looking at Stephen through a gap.

Stephen stops in front of the gap, hands against the wall. “Go get Hosuh, we’ll move the ice out of the way!”

“But I-” Gavin hesitates, glancing behind him where Hosuh yelled again, a crash resounding from the room.

“ _ GO _ ! Don’t die!” Stephen repeated, slamming his hands on the ice.

“I love you too!” Gavin says, sprinting into the house after Hosuh.

Ann runs up, kicking hard at the ice, falling back. Stephen grabs her before she falls, Ann quickly getting up and kicking at the ice again.

“Ann-” Dan raises a hand.

“We got nothing else here, Dan!” Stephen yells.

“I know, I know-” Dan responds, grimacing at the ice that barely even budged as Ann kicked again, yelling.

“Dammit, we don’t have time for this-”

“Guys!” They all turn to see Jay sprinting at them.

“Jay! You’re okay!” Dan says, giving a quick hug before checking him over.

“Where were you?! Things are kinda going to shit!” Stephen asks, Ann kicking desperately at the ice again.

“I can’t find Pillow! I don’t know where he is, I-I-”Jay yells, voice panicked. Dan puts a hand on his arm, trying to calm him down.

“Use your panic and melt this goddamn ice!” Ann yells, Stephen grabbing her before she could kick at the ice again.

Jay listens, lunging forward and placing his hands on the ice, the ice melting away quickly, but not quick enough. Jay gets halfway through melting it before Stephen pulls him back, raising a leg and kicking the ice, once, twice, then smashing it and running inside.

  
  


\--

  
  


Gavin runs into the house, cursing the fact that he had to go and curse a whole town with huge ice spikes. 

He runs into the room, seeing Hosuh smash something over a guards head, yelling as the guards push him to the ground, Hosuh kicking his legs as he scoots away. 

“Hey!” Gavin yells, the guards turning to him. He runs up, kicking one in the chest and watching as the guard falls back, stumbling into a wall.

Hosuh gets to his feet, grabbing his staff from the floor.

“They’re trying to take Pillow!” Hosuh says, Gavin standing by him as the guards raise swords at them. 

“Pillow?!” Gavin asks.

“Jay’s dragon!” Hosuh points a box in the corner that shakes and turns every now and then, like there’s something angry inside.

“Oh, right.” Gavin mumbles, ducking as one of the guards takes a swing at him, rolling across the floor and grabbing a book from the ground, smashing it into the guards head.

It doesn’t do much, but it does make a loud ‘thunk’ noise against the helmet, which  _ has _ to count for  _ something _ , in Gavin’s opinion.

Hosuh yells a battle cry, Gavin stepping back as one of the guards fly past him into a wall. He looks to Hosuh, Hosuh looking both a mix of sorry and determined.

Gavin ducks under another sword, yelping as his shirt is grabbed and he’s thrown, rolling across the floor. Hosuh helps him to his feet.

“Do you know these guys?!” Gavin asks.

“Jay’s kingdom! They really do not give up.” Hosuh responds, both of them gasping as one of the guards throws a bottle on the ground, shattering.

Smoke starts to come out, Gavin already recognizing it as a sleep type of potion. He looks around, seeing an open closet by his left.

He takes a moment, thinking. If they both go down, the others will have no clue who the heck did this, and who grabbed Pillow. 

With that thought, he grabs Hosuh, pulling with all his strength and pushing Hosuh into the closet, slamming it shut as the smoke starts to fill the room. 

“Wait, Gavin-” Hosuh immediately slams on the door, trying to open it. Gavin coughs, the mist going up, and he notices that as he leans into the door, it freezes shut, frost traveling across the doorknob.

“Huh.” Gavin mumbles, feeling his legs go out. He didn’t think he would actually keep some ice powers. Sweet.

He passes out, hitting the floor as Hosuh yells on the other side of the door.

“Hurry up and grab him and the dragon. We need to move before the others get here.” The main guard grunts, as Gavin is grabbed, Pillow being taken as well, the guards traveling out a backdoor.

Hosuh slams his fists against the door, yelling. “Stop! Leave them alone, bring them back!” He gets no answer, grabbing his staff and slamming it against the wooden door, leaving marks.

“GAVIN! OPEN THIS DOOR!” Hosuh slams his staff against the door again, yelling his frustration as it doesn’t do anything. He can feel tears welling up.

Hosuh kicks, and hits, for what feels like forever, but he knows it’s only been minutes.

“GAVIN!” Hosuh tries calling again, slamming at the door again.

“Hosuh?!” He hears Stephen on the other side.

“Stephen! Over here! In here!” Hosuh knocks loudly at the door, gasping.

It takes a moment, Dan saying reassurances through the door, and the door swings open, Hosuh falling forward onto the ground, Ann holding him.

“Where’s-I don’t-” Hosuh looks around frantically.

“Take a breath, Hosuh, breath.” Dan says, kneeling down with him and Ann as Stephen and Jay look down with worried faces, Jay looking around the room, noting the signs of struggle.

Hosuh takes a minute or two to calm down, breathing with Dan.

“Are you okay?” Ann asks, as Hosuh looks up to both Stephen and Jay. 

Oh, this isn’t going to go well.

“Okay, first, both of you have to promise to stay calm.” Hosuh says, eyes worried.

“Probably not going to do that with the way you’re looking at me, Hos.” Stephen says, crossing his arms. “Where’s Gavin?” He asks, the slightest bit of worry on his face.

Hosuh takes a deep breath in. 

“Jay, your kingdom sent guards. They took both Pillow and Gavin. Gavin locked me in the closet before I passed out too.” Hosuh says, glancing back at the closet behind him.

Both Jay and Stephen freeze.

“Oh boy.” Ann mumbles, as Dan gets to his feet.

“Okay, guys…” Dan says, raising his hands. 

Elias runs into the room, a cut across his chin and dirt across his face, panting. “We took care of those black armored guards in the crowd. No one was hurt badly. Are you guys-” Elias pauses, looking at both Stephen and Jay.

“...I’m gonna fucking kill them.” Stephen mumbles. Dan looks behind Stephen, noticing there’s certain objects floating into the air, glowing purple.

Jay looks fucking  _ livid _ , and he’s glaring into the ground, staying extremely silent.

“Stephen, put the objects down! Jay-” Dan says, putting a hand on Stephen’s shoulder.

“Guess what! I’m making history! I’m going to be the first king to burn his entire kingdom to the  _ ground!” _ Jay says cheerfully, looking up to Dan. 

“Jay, we’ll get them back-” Dan says, as Stephen shoves Dan’s hand off his shoulder.

“Of  _ course _ we’re fucking getting them back, you think I’m just going to let them-” Jay yells, voice sharp.

“This is supposed to be a trap. They grabbed Pillow to get you back.” Ann says, helping Hosuh to his feet. “We have to think about this, we can’t go rushing in-”

“The more we wait, the longer they have Pillow!” Jay yells, Dan trying to calm him down, stomping at the flames starting at Jay’s feet.

“Pillow?! What about my brother!?” Stephen turns to Jay. “I know you’re thinking about your goddamn dragon, but my brother was just kidnapped too!”

“They took Pillow!  _ My _ dragon, how am I supposed to  _ not _ be upset over that?!”

“That’s not what I meant, you idiot!” 

“Guys, both of you quit it!” Dan yells, grabbing Stephen by the arm.

Stephen yells in frustration, stomping his foot, the objects in the air going flying, smashing into the walls. 

“That’s enough! Both of you! Get out of the house before you burn the whole thing down!” Dan screams, stepping in between them. 

Stephen stalks out of the room, Jay at his heels, leaving burnt footprints.

“Hold on, you-” Jay raises a finger, going after Stephen.

“Shut up!” Stephen yells, smacking Jay’s hand.

Dan stomps out the rest of the fire in the room, hearing their arguing go outside.

Elias holds Dan’s sword out in front of him, glancing at the door. “Should, should we be worried about that?” He asks, Dan taking the sword from him.

Dan sighs, rubbing at his face. “Probably. Give me a moment.” Dan says, Ann and Hosuh going out the door as Dan makes sure the rest of the smoldering floor is stomped out.

Elias walks out, Dan behind him, walking out of the house to see Jay and Stephen screaming at each other, magic only even more fired up. 

Jay is practically standing in a roaring fire, the slightest smoke coming out of his mouth.

Stephen is waving his arms around as he yells, the ground glowing bright purple for a moment, then to Dan’s surprise, it suddenly cracks, as if Stephen struck a sword into the ground.

Dan runs to both of them. 

“Stop it! You-” 

“You think you’re hurting more?! It’s a fucking dragon! An animal!” Stephen yells, Dan pushing him back with no effect.

“Says the one who hasn’t even  _ seen _ his brother in six fucking years! Do you even know him?!” Jay yells back, stepping out of the fire.

“Both of you, STOP IT!” Dan yells, and they hardly listen, Stephen looking seconds away from punching Jay, Jay looking the same. 

Hosuh and Ann are quiet, looking with wide eyes, they both glance at each other, running up to them, stopping feet away, not really sure what to do. 

Dan stands in between them both, arms raised out.

Both Stephen and Jay ignore him, Jay raising a hand to Stephen and Stephen reaching for a knife-

Dan grabs Jay’s and Stephen’s arm, both of them pausing, Dan taking their moment of hesitation to  _ pull _ , the two of them falling forward, their heads knocking together painfully.

The two of them fall to the ground, groaning and holding their heads, Dan looking down at them.

Dan swears under his breath, ignoring his burnt hand from grabbing Jay. “Are you two done?” 

Both of them stare at the ground instead of responding. 

“ _ Stephen, Jay. _ ” Dan says sternly, the two of them still acting like the dirt is the most interesting thing in the world.

Stephen huffs, Jay wincing as Dan starts tapping his foot. 

Off to the side, Hosuh is relieved, smiling as Dan waits for them to apologize to each other. Ann is laughing. Elias just looks confused, thinking they were moments away from murdering each other, but now they’re both sitting on the ground, very much trying to ignore Dan.

Stephen groans, crossing his legs. “Fine! I’m  _ sorry _ . Happy?” Stephen says, looking up at Dan.

“Don’t say it at me, say it at Jay.” Dan crosses his arms, nodding his head to Jay.

“Are you fucking serious!?” Stephen swears.

Jay sighs loudly, turning to Stephen. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”

Stephen sighs as well. “I’m sorry, too. I didn’t mean it.” 

They both turn to Dan with equally unimpressed faces. Dan looks back.

“What, do you want us to hug or something?” Stephen says sarcastically.

“That would be nice.” Dan responds, Stephen yelling that he was  _ joking _ . Dan hums, waiting.

“Oh my god, hurry up and hug me before he  _ ties _ us together.” Jay says, holding his arms out. 

Stephen gives him a hug, glaring at Dan the entire time.

Dan tries his best to not laugh and fails.

Stephen spitefully smacks Jay on the head, Jay whacking him in the shoulder in return, the two of them going into a brawl on the ground as Dan walks over to the others.

Sure, the two of them are hitting at each other, but they’re fighting in the way without any actual anger, just the two of them being idiots who refuse to be the last one getting hit.

Hosuh heals his burnt hand as Ann laughs, both Jay and Stephen turning on her as she starts running. Elias gives up on understanding their weird friendship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Angst??? In MY story?? lol no, everyone makes up. (also if Stephen and Jay did fight, they would have gotten like three seconds in before Dan flipped both of them onto the ground)


	25. Get in loser, we're going to go save my dragon (and burn down the kingdom while we're at it)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things start building up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> holy heck guys, I got into a speed writing mood, and i just cannot stop. I wrote an extra 1000 words for this chap, enjoy.

  
  


After a few minutes of everyone calming down (and Dan wrangling both Stephen and Jay from trying to murder each other), they go around the town, preparing for a long trip. 

They still have the horses from Joe, and the townspeople give food, water, and anything else they can offer to the group as they explain the situation. 

They ride through the town, Elias going with them and sitting behind Hosuh on his horse. 

“So, obviously, they’re going back to Jay’s kingdom. They’ll probably be holding both Pillow and Gavin hostage until we hand over Jay, so we need a plan on how to get them out without having to surrender Jay up to them.” Dan says, leading the group on his horse. “Any ideas?”

“Well, Jay, was nice knowing you.” Stephen says, Jay giving him a dirty look as Stephen laughs, dodging Jay’s kick.

“If the map is right, it’s going to take about a month to get all the way back to where you’re saying. We should have time to make up a solid plan on the way there.” Elias says, a map in his hands.

“I already have  _ my _ plan.” Jay tilts his head, sighing. 

“We can’t just go rushing in-” Dan turns to Jay behind him, voice stern.

“I’m going to go up to my own gates, command them to stop being idiots, and if they choose to be idiots and say no, I’ll burn down the walls, the castle and the whole prison area while I’m at it.” Jay says, moving past Dan on his horse. Stephen smiles.

Dan rides his horse up, stopping in front of Jay. “We  _ have  _ to stop and think here. You can’t just go burning down your entire kingdom! I’m sure there’s a less…” Dan waves his hands around, stammering. “Violent, way to go about this.”

“You know, he’s right Jay,  _ we  _ can’t go against your entire kingdom on our own, we need some backup when we’re attacking.” Stephen says, raising a hand.

“That was nowhere  _ near  _ my point.” Dan rubs at his face in frustration.

“Who else would want to help us with a mission like this, though? We don’t exactly have the best reputation…” Hosuh points out, thinking about the many, many times they all have caused chaos in a town and gotten kicked out.

“We could find assassins, and like, pay them to, you know,” Ann swiped a finger across her throat. “Help us break into Jay’s prison.”

“No, we need at least a small army or something.” Jay mumbles, tapping a finger at his chin. “This is  _ my _ kingdom we’re talking about, I doubt they’re going to go down easily with just a few assassins.”

“Can’t we try and figure out a way to get Gavin and Pillow back  _ without  _ basically ambushing your kingdom?” Dan said, feeling like he was talking to a brick wall.

“Well, how about  _ you _ go up to them and ask nicely for my brother back? See how  _ that _ turns out, especially with us kidnapping Jay and being wanted criminals.” Stephen quips at Dan, Dan rolling his eyes.

“We didn’t kidnap him!” Dan says, while Jay shrugs, waving a hand.

“Wait, you guys are wanted criminals?!” Elias speaks up, the map crumpled in his hands.

“We’re heroes!” Dan says, at the same time as Ann chimes “We have  _ so  _ many bounties on our heads.”

Elias gives Dan a stern look, Dan wisely looking away and trying to not show guilt. 

“We could ask Jo for help?” Hosuh suggests, changing the subject as so Elias wouldn’t end up going after Dan. Stephen and Jay both pause, considering it. 

“He does owe us for this whole ice curse thing.” Jay points out, looking to Dan. 

“It’s decided, we’re going to Jo’s everyone, and we’re leaving with a small army, come on!” Stephen yells, speeding on his horse, Dan yelling behind him as he follows. Jay goes ahead with them, as Ann and Hosuh stay at a steady pace.

“This is going to go terribly.” Elias mumbles, Hosuh laughing at the deadpan tone he has. 

“I, for one, can’t wait. Come on, let’s blow this popsicle stand!” Ann exclaims, gripping the reins of her horse and speeding up, both Elias and Hosuh looking at her weirdly. 

“What the hell is a popsicle?” Elias asks, as Ann rides off ahead of them. Hosuh shrugs in response, and speeds up, catching up to the others.

  
  


\---

  
  


Gavin wakes up on the back of a cart, incredibly dizzy and noting his hands are tied tightly together, almost hurting. He stays in place for a moment, blinking and trying to take in his surroundings and groaning slightly at the headache that is  _ killing _ him.

He’s laying down at the back of a cart, there’s a guard sitting by him, although it seems like they’re having a conversation with the other guards. There’s a box by his head, and it shakes violently every now and then, scratching noises coming from it. 

He notes they’re going somewhere, probably back to Jay’s kingdom, of which he has no idea of where that is. 

Gavin takes a deep breath in, trying to move around.

“Oh, hey, the kid’s awake.” The guard sitting by him says, Gavin glaring as harshly as he can in response. “Ooh, mean look.”

“I’m not gonna deal with him. Just, use another potion or something, they should be in a box next to you.” One of them says, not looking away from steering the horse. 

Gavin breathes in sharply as the first guard listens, rummaging around and finding a small green bottle, looking at Gavin.

Now or never, Gavin thinks, and he yells, kicking his leg up and knocking the guard to the floor.

He struggles to move, ignoring the way his head is pounding and falls off the cart, groaning.

“Hey! Oh for fucks sake-” The cart stops, and Gavin hears the other guards hop off. He scrambles to his feet, going to run and getting jerked back by someone grabbing his arm and yanking.

He rolls onto the dirt, growling in frustration and slamming his hands against the floor, ice suddenly traveling and freezing up one of the guards legs, them screaming in shock.

Gavin starts to run, but glances back at the cart and remembers: the box, Pillow!

He ducks under a grab from one of the guards, trying his best to grab Pillow’s box from the side of the cart, having some difficulty with his hands being tied. 

One of the guards round around the cart, pulling out a sword. Gavin stumbles back, raising his arms and trying to brace himself as they run forward, slamming into him and knocking him back, Gavin rolling backwards onto the ground.

He sits up to find a sword pointed at his face, and he yells, kicking his legs and scooting back.

“You touch me, and my brother will cut your  _ fucking fingers _ off!” Gavin says, spitting on the ground for good measure. The guard pointing a sword at him makes a face, hesitating slightly.

“Can someone just  _ please _ knock him out already?” A guard says, still on his horse by the cart. 

The guard Gavin had half frozen earlier grabs a potion from the cart, shaking some frost from their leg and walking up to Gavin.

“Look, kid-” The guard raises the potion and his hand, kneeling down slowly.

“Don’t call me kid.” Gavin says, keeping his face mean and scowling.

The guard huffs, giving Gavin a pitying look. “We can do this easily. I can give you this potion, and you drink it, go to sleep, and we don’t have to be harming you any. That, or the hard way.” 

“What I  _ want _ is to be away from you people. I barely even know your king!” Gavin says, scooting back again.

The guard doesn’t give him a response, and instead holds out the potion, the cap already off. Gavin has the urge to slap it out of his hands, but he glances up at the guard who has their sword out, looking like he’ll have no problem stabbing Gavin in the near future. 

Gavin looks around at the empty fields, no one around except for these people. His hands are tied, there’s a sword half pointed at him, and he doesn’t even know where he is.

Gavin glares at the guard holding the potion out, taking a shaky breath, and eventually taking the potion.

It tastes like mint.

  
  


\---

  
  


It should take about two weeks to get to Jo’s kingdom at their speed, but both Stephen and Jay are on a warpath, and somehow, they get there in a week, getting to the front gates and Stephen throwing a rock at the doors, yelling “JO, OPEN THE  _ FUCK _ UP!”

Dan nearly tackled Stephen off his horse at that, smiling pleasantly at the guards who gave them confused looks while going to go call for their prince.

They’re let in, led to the castle once more and all of them waiting in the same room as before. There’s tea and candy on the table, but no one touches it, instead just waiting.

Jay’s fidgeting on the couch, Dan leaning against him and trying to keep Jay from getting fed up and running through the castle to get Jo personally. 

Elias is sitting at the other end of the couch, next to Dan, looking at Stephen who’s pacing at the side, Hosuh and Ann sitting on the ground and also looking at Stephen pace, Ann looking bored out of her mind, and Hosuh looking thoughtful. 

“Oh my god, where is he?!” Stephen says, huffing. Dan watches a teacup on the table glow, then fall off, shattering.

Everyone looks at the teacup, then looks to Stephen. 

“That was an accident.” Stephen defends himself, holding a finger out at Dan, who shakes his head. 

“Come on, come sit down with us Stephen! I have cards!” Ann says, pulling out a stack of cards from her bag. Hosuh grabs them from her hand, waving them through the air. 

Stephen gives them both a bored look, sighing and going “ _ Fine. _ But Ann can’t cheat.” Sitting down on the ground with them and ignoring how Ann yelled about she does  _ not _ cheat.

“How the heck would you cheat at cards?” Elias asks, smiling at Stephen flicking a card at Dan’s face, Dan frowning at him. 

“No clue, ask Ann, she’s the one who cheats.” Stephen says, Ann sticking her tongue out at him.

They get half a game in, Dan drinking at some of the tea and Ann and Stephen going after the candy, when Jo finally arrives, walking into the room.

“Oh, you guys are back! Sorry for the wait, I was in the middle of a meeting-” Jo says, sitting down across from Dan and the others.

Stephen slams his cards down. “Cheater!” He yells, cutting Jo off. Hosuh laughs as Ann is frantically waving her handful of cards around, defending herself.

“ _ Guys _ , Jo?” Dan says, both Ann and Stephen quieting and squinting at Jo, who scoots the slightest bit away from their judging looks. Elias laughs.

“Okay, I need to just get right to it-” Jay says, leaning forward, voice serious. “Pillow and Stephen’s brother were both taken by my kingdom about a week ago at the town, right after we took care of the curse.”

“What?! Well, you guys took care of the curse, that’s good, but, as for your kingdom-” Jo says, fiddling with his glasses.

“We’re planning on going to go rescue them, but we can’t do that without some help.” Dan says, clasping his hands together and looking pleadingly at Jo.

“You want my help?” Jo tilts his head, leaning forward and pouring himself a cup of tea. “I don’t know... The last time your guards fought us, it was difficult to get them to go.” Jo says, looking to Jay. 

“We  _ need _ help to get them back, though. They kidnapped them because they’re insistent on getting Jay back. We have to fight for them.” Hosuh says, voice earnest. 

“But I can’t go declaring war on another kingdom for you guys, as much as I do want to.” Jo says, grinning at Hosuh. “I still have my people to take care of.” Jo raises his head to Jay, nodding slightly.

“Well, my dragon and his brother are currently who knows where with my stupid goddamn gaurds, on their way back to my kingdom.” Jay says bitterly, pointing to Stephen then throwing his hands up. “You can’t just do nothing! You have to help somehow!” Jay yells, Jo not looking at him, but instead the couch.

“Tone it down, tone it down, the couch, Jay!” Dan says, gently pushing Jay’s hand away and patting frantically at the burn marks on the couch, blowing smoke away.

“Ah, uh, should I get-” Jo goes to get up, Dan waving a hand as Jay goes to sit on the floor instead. 

“Nope, we’re fine.” Dan says, sighing. 

“Look, Jo. We’re all stressed, and we just need some help so we can get back Pillow and Gavin. Isn’t there something you can do?” Dan asks, glancing at Jay who’s keeping his hands in the air carefully.

Jo hums, looking off to the side. “I can lend you some of my soldiers. They’ll travel with you, and I can lend some weapons, horses, any of that.” Jo says, putting his cup down. “I wish I could go with you guys and personally help, but I have a lot to do here.”

“That’s alright, Jo. Thanks.” Hosuh says, Jo smiling back.

“Once you guys  _ do  _ get the others back and return from Jay’s kingdom, I want you guys to come back here.” Jo sits back, looking at Dan.

“Well, it’s not like we’re going to kidnap your soldiers, man.” Stephen says, raising an eyebrow.

“No, not just that, I want you guys to come lay low in the kingdom for a while. Just a week or two, no problems, no work.” Jo explains.

“No problems? Have you  _ met _ them?” Elias says, grinning as Dan facepalms next to him.

“We’ll come back, Jo. After.” Dan says, hitting Elias in the arm gently.

“Well, then we better get going! My little brother and his ferocious dragon are waiting!” Stephen hops to his feet, Ann nodding quickly and also shoving the rest of the candy into her bag.

“But, didn’t you guys just get here?!” Jo says, raising his hands to try and slow them down, but Jay is already out the door, and Ann swipes a teacup, shoving it into her bag and running out with him, Dan shrugging to Jo as Jo scrambles to follow them, hoping they haven’t already caused chaos in his castle.

\---

A few weeks pass, Gavin passing out regularly due to potions. Honestly, he’d rather be unconscious than have to deal with these people, so it’s not much of a bad thing.

Gavin racks up 6 different escape attempts, each of them failing and his last one ending with one of the guards pointing a knife at his throat, Gavin panicking and freezing the dude to the ground.

He gets handed sleep potions a  _ lot  _ more often after that. 

Gavin notes that everytime he wakes up, the box that is supposed to be containing Pillow gets bigger and bigger, which worries Gavin a little bit. It still shakes violently at times, sometimes growling coming from it and Gavin, usually being half asleep, trying to scoot as far as he can from it.

The next time he wakes up, he finds he's in a cell, laying in the dirt, the cart, the box, and the guards gone. Only stone and metal bars are there, sunlight shining through the window.

He’s annoyed to find that his hands are still tied together. When they were on the cart, one of the guards were kind enough to take the ropes off every time when Gavin passed out, so they wouldn’t be scraping at his wrists. Although he can tell that these ropes have been here for a long time. 

He sits up, pushing himself off the ground and squinting through the bars, sighing.

There’s voices at the end of the hall, and Gavin strains his ears to listen, trying to figure out what they’re saying.

It’s two armored guards, talking amongst themselves and going right to Gavin’s cell, one of them dragging keys across the bars. 

Gavin takes a few steps back, hesitant as they open the door. “What’s going on? Where the hell am I?”

“Well, you’re in a prison cell, first of all. Second, a decision was made, we don’t need you. So, we’re finding a different use for you.” One of them says unkindly, and Gavin steps back, his back hitting the wall. 

“Get back! Or else-” He’s hit against the head and he groans as he hits the floor, immediately trying to get away. 

His arms are grabbed and he’s being dragged, out of the cell and down the hall, his feet dragging across the stone.

“Where are you taking me?! Let go!” Gavin yells, kicking his legs and struggling, even trying to bite one of them at one point. They almost let go, although they just readjust their grip on him and keep dragging him.

Gavin kicks and drags his feet as much as possible, trying to be as difficult as one can be, when suddenly he’s raised to his feet, and pushed into a room, Gavin rolling onto the ground as they quickly close a metal door behind him.

Gavin scrambles to his feet, banging at the door. “HEY! Open the door! Come on!” 

He raises his fists again, swearing, and there’s a gust of air at his back. 

He turns around to find he’s face to face with a  _ dragon _ .

“AH!” Gavin yells, knocking back into the metal door and falling to the ground, back against the wall as he scrambles to put distance between them.

The dragon just stares at him, huffing.

It’s not fully grown, from what Gavin can see, but it’s definitely not small either. It kinda reminds Gavin of a horse, if you know, a horse had scales, and fire breathing, and sharp, sharp teeth.

The dragon takes a step forward, then stops, growling slightly and laying down, looking annoyed. Gavin takes a moment to kick himself out of his panic and takes a good look at the dragon, noting there’s a chain around its legs, not letting it get any closer.

Gavin stares at the dragon, and it stares back, grey eyes blinking slowly.

Then it finally kicks in.

“Oh, wait, Pillow. Pilow, right? Jay’s dragon.” Gavin mumbles, Pillow still just looking at him. 

Gavin looks to the locked door behind him and realizes what they probably wanted to happen. They wanted Gavin to be Pillow’s meal for the day.

Gavin huffs, standing up on shaky legs and slowly taking steps towards the red-grey dragon, Pillow never taking his eyes off him.

Slowly but surely, Gavin is ending up sitting right next to Pillow, Pillow blinking at him once, twice, then blowing a puff of smoke into his face, Gavin coughing.

Gavin yells as Pillow shifts around, shoving Gavin under his wing. Gavin groans, trying his best to push Pillow off with his tied hands, but Pillow just moves his wing over Gavin again, Gavin laughing as he pokes his head out, Pillow blinking at him again.

The door that Gavin went through opens again. “Oh, come on. It’s not doing anything.”

“Really? Jeez, you would think it would be as vicious as it was with the meat we gave it.”

“Just grab the guy again.”

One of the guards step into the large room, a sword hesitantly raised. They hardly make it a few steps in before Pillow starts growling, Gavin deciding to stay close to the dragon and staying under his wing.

“Oh, come on, don’t be difficult, give the kid back-” Pillow’s growling only gets louder as the guard gets closer. Pillow moves around, keeping Gavin securely in his grasp.

Pillow roars, and Gavin ducks his head down, closing his eyes as he hears fire and a wave of heat goes through the room.

“Dammit! Dammit, alright, fine, keep him! Geez.” The guard runs out, singed. The metal door is closed shut again, Gavin sitting up, Pillow letting him push the wing off him.

“Okay, okay. In a room with a dragon, and have no idea when Stephen is coming back.” Gavin murmurs, fiddling with the rope tied around his wrist. 

“This is fine, this is totally fine.” Pillow makes a weird half growl, half cat purring noise, and Gavin looks up to him, grinning.

“Well, you and I are stuck here until the others come back. Whenever that’ll be.” Gavin says, finally getting the ropes off. There are angry red lines around his wrists and they sting.

Gavin rubs at his face, sniffing. “We’re fine. Stephen is on his way, I’m sure of it.” 

Pillow seems to hum.

Gavin lays down next to the dragon, sighing. “I’m going to take a nap. You keep me safe, alright?”

Pillow makes a weird growl noise as a response.

“I’m trusting you.” Gavin mumbles, closing his eyes. Pillow put his wing over him again, and rests with Gavin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pillow thinks of Gavin as one of Jay's friends, so he's like "oh, small human. well okay" The next chapter is going to be real fun to write kids, Jay and Stephen are on a Warpath.
> 
> The next chap might come pretty early actually, because I'm writing a lot these days. Till then!


	26. Burn the front gates! Your king is here and he's pissed! :D

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote a lot. I got carried awayyy, and now this chapter is like four thousand words long, but hey, I doubt you guys are going to complain about it.
> 
> Also yes I added Yanna. She won't be really living it up until the next few chapters though, so, ehhhh
> 
> Anyway, enjoy the chap, editing takes so long.

Jo leads them to the training area, all them following behind.

It’s a drastic difference from how it was last time, filled with people and actually being used. Then again, last time they saw it, they were less occupied with how the training area looked, and more focused with getting on horses and getting the hell out of the kingdom before Jay was found by his kingdom, again.

The area is loud with the sound of weapons clanging and guards yelling, with different groups of people scattered around, sparring with each other, practicing their aim with arrows, and a few even chucking spears into a target, the guards cheering when landing a good hit.

Ann stares at a few crossbows laid out on a table, a pile of arrows next to it. Her fingers itch to grab an arrow and shove it in her bag before anyone notices.

She looks at Dan, smiling and glancing to the arrows.

Dan huffs and smiles back, glancing at Jo in the front of the group then holds up a finger, softly saying “just one.”

Ann easily swipes an arrow in no time, grinning as she walks along without an ounce of guilt on her shoulders. She’s  _ so _ gonna grab a crossbow later on, even though it would be a bit harder to grab. Eh, when Dan’s not looking.

They follow Jo through the middle of it all, Dan’s eyes catching two guards who are fighting in a ring with swords, helmets on and swords in hand, and a group of others cheering on around them.

One of them looks young and small, awkward with a sword and scrambling to dodge, while the other one looks comfortable and skilled with the way they spin the sword in their hands.

The younger one is knocked to the ground for a moment, and there’s an uproar of encouragement from the ones watching.

“Come on, kid, kick his ass!” 

“Get up, you can do it!” 

“I’ll buy you a drink if you get up and fight!” One of them yells, grinning as their friend standing next to them smacks them in the shoulder, saying something about how the kid isn’t even old enough for a drink.

The kid does get up onto their feet, and keeps swinging, everyone yelling.

Dan doesn’t even notice he’s stopped, and decides to walk to the fight, leaning forward on the fence around the fighting ring. Elias immediately sees him walk off and follows, standing by him. Dan grins at him for a moment and turns back to the fight.

A few guards take note of them, staring, but Dan stays focusing on the fight, grinning. Elias smiles pleasantly at them, and the guards look away, shrugging.

The others notice the two brothers have stayed behind, preoccupied with watching the two apparent guards fight. 

“We’ve lost them! Da-” Stephen starts to yell to Dan, Ann slapping a hand over his mouth. 

“Wait, wait, I kinda want to see this.” Ann says, squinting at the fight and standing up on her toes.

“We can get closer, you know.” Jo says, laughing a bit. They all walk back, circling around the ring and staying a little far back, behind the small crowd of guards at Jo’s insistence.

“The guards get nervous when I watch them train. Better to wait until they’re done and then tell them they did a good job.” He says, shrugging and smiling awkwardly.

Ann and Jay run up to Dan and Elias while Stephen and Hosuh hang back with Jo. Ann jumps onto a barrel, Dan giving her a look while Jay leans onto the fence on the other side of Dan, watching the fight.

The kid is struggling, looking like with each passing second the sword is getting heavier and heavier. The other guard hesitates, taking a step back.

“You want a bre-” He goes to ask, but the kid is running forward, saying “nope!” and throws their sword into the air as a distraction, everyone whooping and cheering.

They slide across the floor and elbow the other guard in the back of the knee, scrambling to pick up their sword as he stumbles.

Ann lets out a cheer and Elias grins, leaning forward, the crowd is going wild and-

The guy grabs the kid by the arm and just flips them high over his shoulder like nothing, the kid going tumbling in their direction, stopping just in front of the fence, groaning into the dirt.

“Ah, good try kid!”

“You got close!”

“I like what you did with the distraction!”

The kid laughs on the ground, getting up. 

“Nice fight.” Jay says, and the kid seems to just notice them, staring up at the four of them.

“Yeah, that was really cool! Although he chucked you like a bag of potatoes.” Ann says, Dan shaking his head and laughing.

“Wait a minute, I recognize those troublemaker faces.” The other guy in the ring walks up to them, pulling off his helmet, and Dan is surprised to find it’s Frank, helmet and sword in hand.

“Frank! You’re okay!” Dan says, surprised to see the innkeeper all the way back from Jay’s kingdom.

“Yeah, I got out fine. You people are one hell of a distraction.” Frank says, thinking back to how easy it was to run away when Dan and the others were rooftop jumping across the town, keeping all the attention on them.

“Sorry for your inn.” Jay says, shrugging and raising his hands.

“Ah, it’s nothing. I found some new work anyway.” He gestures to the training grounds “That kingdom is a bit unfun, no offense, your majesty.” Frank bows a little to Jay, who snorts in response.

“Wait, who are you?” Ann says at the same time as the kid, their helmet still on, goes “ _ Majesty _ ?” staring at Jay. 

Elias is looking to Dan for an explanation over the inn. Dan is not going to give one.

“Nice fight, Frank. You could’ve gone a bit easier on new recruits, though.” Jo says, walking up to them with Hosuh and Stephen.

“Nah, it was a good fight either way, your highness.” Frank waves a hand, chuckling, bowing to Jo for a moment.

“Frank!” Hosuh says cheerfully, while Stephen goes “Hey, so you  _ didn’t _ die!” 

“Takes more than you four to kill me.” Frank says, sticking his sword into the ground. “Although, I still think you’re gonna owe me for the burnt inn.”

“Burnt inn.” Elias repeats, eyes on Dan, who’s very much scooting away from Elias.

“What happened to your inn?” Elias asks, Dan giving hand gestures as to  _ not  _ answer, do not-

“They burnt it down as a distraction to get out of the kingdom. I assume you’re new to their group.” Frank answers nonchalantly.

“You WHAT?!” Elias turns to Dan and everyone ignores the two of them going into a half argument, half brawl, tumbling to the ground. 

“Coin on Dan.” Jay mumbles. 

“I bet on Elias.” Ann says back, the two of them nodding to each other.

  
  
  


Frank decides to not question it. “What are you guys doing here, anyway?”

“My dragon and his brother,” Jay tilts his head to Stephen. “Got kidnapped by my kingdom, because they’re very determined on getting me back. So, we came here for some backup for when we need to use force to get them out.”

“Your kingdom?” The kid says, and everyone turns to them. 

“Hey, what’s your name?” Jo asks, looking confused. Were new recruits always this small, or was he not paying attention these days?

“Uh.” The kid says, slowly slinking away.

“Jigs up, kid.” Frank says, tugging the helmet off of her. “This is Yanna. She’s one hell of a sneaky kid. Not sure when she showed up, but here she is.”

“I’m here legally!” Yanna yells, very unconvincingly. Jo squints sceptically at her while Stephen snorts, Hosuh hitting him in the shoulder. 

“You’re young.” Jo says, just as other guards come scrambling to rush over. 

“My prince! Don’t kick out Yanna, she’s actually good at fighting-”

“She doesn’t really pose any threat, although she’s a bit chaotic, I’ll say that-”

“We just wanted to give her a chance at fighting with a sword, I swear-”

Jo waves a hand and they all go quiet. He looks to Yanna. “How old are you?”

“18.” Yanna says, grinning.

“She’s 15.” Franks corrects.

“Stop snitchin, Frank!”

“Stop lying to  _ the  _ prince.” Frank responds, Yanna looking confused and then glancing at the crown on Jo’s head.

“He’s royalty! So is this guy, I guess.” Stephen says, Jay giving an unimpressed look as Stephen waves a hand at him. 

“I’m a king.” Jay says deadpan, Stephen rolling his eyes.

“You said you didn’t  _ want _ to be a king, though.” Hosuh points out.

“I’ll have the title, it sounds cool, but I’m not going to go rule my kingdom.” Jay states, as Yanna seems to internally panic.

“Don’t arrest me, I swear I just wanted to hang around.” Yanna says to Jo, raising her hands. The other guards are nodding frantically at Jo, who holds back a laugh.

“You won’t get arrested. Although no more fighting. You can come get a position here at 18, not now.” Jo says, as Elias and Dan finally get up from the ground. Dan looking like he’s glad he has another day to live, and Elias huffing and kicking him in the leg. Ann flicks a coin to Jay.

“Hey, do you know the people around here?” Hosuh asks, Yanna going to grab her sword that she flung into the air earlier.

“Yeah, actually. If you want, I can pick out the best fighters for you, to make it easier.” Yanna says, tilting her head to the side. 

“That would be helpful.” Dan says, brushing dirt off his armor. 

“I’ll need some money to do it, though.” Yanna grins, holding out a hand. 

“Really? Right in front of your prince?” Hosuh asks, Jo faceplaming. Yanna doesn’t look the least bit guilty, holding her hand out for money.

“Oh!” Ann opens up her bag, digging her arm through it. Everyone looks at her strangely for a moment, then Ann pulls out a full on golden sword out of her bag, gleaming with a few jewels.

Dan is sighing and putting a hand to his face, Stephen is laughing and Yanna is staring with wide eyes at the sword that definitely shouldn’t have been able to fit in that bag.

“I can give you this!” Ann says, holding out the sword. Yanna takes it from her hesitantly, holding it like it might poof into dust in her hands.

“How does this even...” Yanna trails off, swinging the sword through the air. “Never mind, I mean, it’s a good sword-”

“I’ll let you meet my dragon.” Jay adds, voice almost bored.

“Deal!” Yanna jumps over the fence, nearly smacking Jay in the head, running through the training grounds and picking out people as Jo shakes his head, slightly wondering when she started hanging around the training grounds.

\---

They gather up a group of the best fighters, over 50 people coming with them, packed up and ready for a fight.

Frank comes along, saying he’ll gladly lead the soldiers, and the others agree, quickly. Yanna surprisingly doesn’t come along, saying-

“I’ll find you guys later. I have some things to do.” She waves a hand, fiddling with the sword Ann gave her. 

“If you say so!” Stephen calls out, in a hurry to leave the kingdom already. 

“We’ll be back anyway, hopefully we meet again?” Hosuh asks, climbing onto his horse.

“Believe me, I’ll find you.” Yanna smiles. “Not in a creepy way or anything-” She waves her hands around.

“Stalker vibes.” Jay says out loud, riding his horse away and ignoring Yanna who’s going “HEY!” in offense. Hosuh laughs.

They march out through the front gates, the group at the front. Jay and Stephen lead the entire group, Jay not even having to glance at the map to know where he’s going. He memorized it for convenience. 

They move quickly, Stephen always yelling for everyone to pick up the pace and Jay keeping a steady gaze ahead. Everyone follows without much complaint, even Dan, who’s taking a backseat and letting the two of them call the shots.

A week into their travel, a group of bandits try jumping their whole group of people in the middle of the night when they’re all in the middle of packing up from resting and ready to get going again.

“We’ve got you surrounded, you don’t struggle and we-” One of them says, holding a knife up.

Jay doesn’t even give them the time of day, walking forward and yawning. When the main bandit raises a knife at him, he blasts fire into their face and keeps walking, hopping onto his horse and nodding at Dan to see if everyone was ready to go.

“Hey,” Stephen rides up on his horse to the group of stunned bandits. “come help us attack a kingdom, and none of you will end up with a knife in your back.” He says, grinning and twirling a knife in his hand.

The bandits do actually join them, after a few minutes of Dan subtly threatening them and more than a few swords being pointed their way. 

Hosuh and Ann were friendly to them, the bandits actually seeming to not mind joining after a conversation with the two of them, and their attitudes going from “I do not wanna be here” to “Yeah, sure, I’ll fight with these people, they’re cool”

One bandit was still insistent on attacking them. Elias kicked said bandit into the dirt and they kept moving.

So they kept going, the bandits staying with them, a few people on the side of the road here and there also joining, with both Ann and Hosuh being friendly and asking politely, and occasionally Jay and Stephen more or less saying “either get out of the way, die, or come along” Dan and Elias acted more as assurances, making sure any threats from newcomers were quickly taken care of.

Days pass, and their group grows to twice as big as it was when they had first moved from Jo’s kingdom, and before they know it, they’re a day away from the kingdom, the gates in sight over the hill.

They bunker down and wait till sunrise.

\---

Gavin wakes up to Pillow’s wing over him, a normal occurrence at this point, since the guards occasionally still try to drag Gavin out. They never get close though, and Pillow has set three different guards on fire while Gavin looks at them unimpressed from under Pillow’s wing.

He yawns and pushes Pillow off him, rubbing at his eyes. God, this ground is not comfortable. He sits up, looking at Pillow who’s resting, eyes closed and breathing softly.

Gavin looks around the room. It’s made up of just concrete, not a single window, just that one darn metal door. Gavin is tempted to get up and slam on it again, but he restrains himself, he’s done that at least 7 times already since he was thrown in here.

He sighs loudly, leaning against Pillow. 

“It’s so  _ boring _ in here.” He whines, dragging his words out, Pillow snapping his eyes open at Gavin’s voice.

“Maybe I should just start doing pushups again.” Gavin continues, stretching his arms up. Pillow grumbles and raises his head, looking off into the wall.

“What the heck are you looking at?” Gavin asks, Pillow obviously not answering and just staring off into the distance. 

Gavin huffs, deciding to mess with the dragon.

He hops to his feet, jumping in front of Pillow’s line of sight. “Hey!” 

Pillow looks startled for a moment, then blows smoke into his face, turning the other direction. Gavin coughs and moves again, grinning as he’s in front of Pillow eyes again.

He looks almost annoyed. Can dragons look annoyed? Gavin doesn’t know, but it looks like it.

Pillow raises his head up, Gavin standing on his toes to stubbornly stay in front of Pillow’s eyes. Pillow looks at Gavin for a long while, Gavin starting a staring contest with him.

“Whatcha gonna do? Huh, Pillow? Ooh, I’m- Hey!” Pillow bites the back of his shirt, and Gavin is kicking his legs as he’s suddenly yanked halfway into the air and placed to the side, falling onto the ground.

“Hey, you can’t just throw me- get your wing  _ off  _ me, I’m not sleeping!” Gavin wacks his hands against Pillow, scooting away and huffing as Pillow just shifts and puts his wing over Gavin again.

Gavin sits up, ready to stubbornly get to his feet again when suddenly there’s a loud boom off in the distance, shaking the cell the slightest bit. 

Pillow is growling, and Gavin crawls back under his wing, eyes wide and staring at the door, listening for another explosion.

Another one goes off, the cell shaking again. Gavin can hear yelling off somewhere. 

“Something’s happening.” Gavin mumbles, and leans against Pillow, listening to the explosions.

\---

Dan, after a lot of hand gestures and stern suggestions, convinces them to try  _ talking _ first. 

The rest of their huge group stay hidden by trees and hills, just out of sight as Stephen, Dan, Jay and Frank ride out to the front gates, ready to talk negotiations. Well, Frank and Dan are ready for negotiations, Jay and Stephen are an inch away from murder.

It goes well at first, Frank introducing them, Jay and Stephen somewhat politely asking for Pillow and Gavin back. (“I would like my brother back, assholes!” “Stephen!”)

The gates are closed, the walls high as the guards shout down to them from on top of the walls. 

“You give us our stolen king back, and maybe we’ll consider it!” One of them yell, Jay glaring up at them. They hide behind the wall at Jay’s look.

“I’m not going back! Give them back, now! If I’m really your king, then listen to my damn order!” Jay says, looking like he’s seconds away from trying to blast fire up the wall.

“Please, I’m sure we can work something out?” Dan says, head tilted up to the guards who don’t look kindly at him. “Is it really that hard to believe that you king just wanted to go exploring for once?” 

“You probably have him brainwashed! We’re not believing a word that comes out of his mouth until he’s in our custody!” They say back, Jay breathing out sharply. 

“I am  _ not _ going into the kingdom by myself.” Jay mumbles, blowing out smoke.

“You’re not, don’t worry.” Dan says softly back.

“Gonna be a bit hard to give your brother back, necromancer.” One of the main guards says, holding a spear in their hand. “After all, we gave him to that ferocious dragon we have in the dungeons. Doubt he’s still intact.”

Stephen freezes, eyes wide. “You  _ what. _ ”

“Ah hell.” Frank murmurs, rubbing at his head. Dan is turning his gaze to the floor, accepting the failure of doing this peacefully.

“Bullshit! You didn’t! You, you-” Stephen is switching between panic and anger, eyes growing wide as he tosses around the possibility in his head of Gavin being- “Jay, your-”

“Stephen.” Jay says, looking not the least bit concerned, eyes turned to Stephen. “I know my dragon. He’s fine.” He’s incredibly calm, but Dan definitely knows he’s pissed off. Well, at least they tried.

Stephen’s face stays worried for a moment, then nods, looking fed up. 

“Alright, I’m sick of this.” Stephen says, flipping off the guards. 

“Same.” Jay says, Dan turning his horse around and riding off with Frank as Stephen whistles high and Jay hops off his horse, dodging an arrow suddenly shot down at him.

“Don’t shoot at him, that’s our king!” One of the guards scream, but they’re quickly ignored at the fact Jay is raising his hands and- ah, the gates are on fire. Deja vu, anyone?

Their whole group of people they gathered over the days comes rushing over the hills and towards the walls, Ann and Elias at the front, riding on their horses.

Jay sprints to Stephen, his own horse getting startled off by the arrow. Stephen pulls him onto his horse, the two of them circling around their group as the gates start to open, on fire, but still slowly opening.

Jay’s kingdom send out swarms of guards, arrows flying from the top of the wall. Shields get raised and the soldiers keep on coming, eventually hitting the front gates. Elias and Ann stay back a little bit, some of their soldiers running on foot and tackling the first royal guards they see.

Elias, on his horse, jumps over two people fighting, Ann right behind him. Ann reaches into her bag and, with her horse still running, stands up with one hand gripping tight on the reins.

“Move, people!” She screams, and she throws something by the gates, which are barely open. Everyone scrambles to move as a bomb goes off, the gates being damages. 

Ann stays standing on her horse, throwing a bomb to Elias, and they both round again by the gates, dodging swords and arrows, then throw both the bombs at the gate in unison, the gates being blown open. 

“Dan, Hosuh, come on! We’re going inside!” Jay yells, and Stephen rides the horse through the fighting, jumping over a few knocked over people here and there.

“Ann, Elias, hold them off, we’ll be right back!” Hosuh screams, Dan right by him as they follow Jay and Stephen though the flaming gate.

“Alright, see you later!” Ann waves a hand, sitting back down on her horse and reaching into her bag, pulling out a crossbow.

Elias jumps off his horse and kicks someone in the head, waving to Dan as they ride into the kingdom, following Jay’s instructions on where Pillow and Gavin must be. 

  
  


\---

Another explosion rings out, and Gavin is huddling by Pillow, alert and on guard. There’s frost across the floor at his fingertips, which only makes him hold his hands to his chest and take deep breaths, waiting.

Pillow raises his head, looking to the door. Gavin crouches down behind Pillow and waits, ears listening. 

There’s yelling and the sound of something hitting the wall. Maybe the kingdom is under attack? Maybe it’s Stephen? Maybe-

His racing thoughts are cut off by the sound of people yelling.

“Get the fuck back, I’m melting this goddamn-”

“MOVE!” He hears Stephen (oh thank goodness, it’s just Stephen) yell and the door is blown off its hinges, glowing purple and slamming against the wall across the room as Gavin stares with wide eyes. 

Both Jay and Stephen are running into the room, equally worried faces.

“Stephen!” Gavin yells, hopping over Pillow and tackling Stephen to the ground, the two of them tumbling.

“Oh my god, you’re alive, you’re alive. Thank goodness.” Stephen mumbles into Gavin’s hair, squeezing Gavin so hard that he’s struggling to breath. Gavin laughs.

Jay is running to Pillow, already in tears. He’s not even saying any proper words, he’s sputtering and stammering as he wraps his arms around Pillows head, Pillow blowing smoke at him. Jay blows his own smoke back, sobbing.

Hosuh and Dan are at the door, Dan has a cut across his cheek, and Hosuh is looking out to the rest of the cells for any guards. 

“Bro, I need to breathe!” Gavin laughs, kicking his legs as Stephen doesn’t let up. Stephen lets go of him, then leans into him, mumbling.

“Uhg, I’m gonna pass out.” Stephen pushes against Gavin, shaking his head. Hosuh throws an energy potion to him, Stephen catching it and drinking it, noting Gavin makes a face at the green bottle.

“You good?” Stephen asks, holding the half drunk bottle in his hands.

“It’s been an uneventful few weeks. Moving on.” Gavin shrugs, waving his hand.

“You are  _ not  _ off the hook for getting kidnapped, we are talking later.” Stephen says, pulling Gavin to his feet.

“How is getting kidnapped my fault!?” Gavin asks, pushing at Stephen.

“Come on, guys, we should get moving.” Dan reminds them, smiling.

“Jay…” Hosuh laughs a little, looking at Jay who is still holding onto Pillow.

“I’m not crying, you’re crying!” Jay says, still crying. He reluctantly lets go of Pillow, reaching down and melting the chain off Pillow’s leg, wiping at his eyes.

“Alright, Gavin, get on Pillow, let's go.” Stephen says, reaching a hand up and the wall glows, then gets knocked down, creating a passage for Pillow, who was not going to fit in through the door. 

“Wha- Why do I have to-”

“Get on the dragon!” Stephen insists, drinking the rest of the energy potion and throwing the empty bottle to the side. Gavin scrambles to climb onto Pillow, Pillow seeming to not mind carrying him.

Jay holds a hand to Pillow's face, smiling, then turns and walks through the door, Pillow right behind him.

“Alright, let’s hurry up and get to the front gates before my guards overwhelm the soldiers-” Jay runs forward, suddenly stopping at people in his way.

Jerry, his past advisor, is standing there, face apprehensive, a small crown on his head and multiple guards by his side.

“Jay.” He says, and Jay is already rolling his eyes as Dan unsheaths his sword.

“Hey Jerry. Let’s make this quick?” Jay asks, flames coming to life in his fists as Pillow growls behind him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> haha, cliffhangers. Are you hyped? I'm hyped. To be fair, I'm always hyped for my own stories, so I don't count.
> 
> Till the next chap!


	27. Everything went right, and then went incredibly wrong

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IM SO LATE
> 
> Ive been like preoccupied with the superhero story, and then I wrote a few short stories, and then I made a NEW story and really, it's been wild. 
> 
> well, I'm here now. Let's get into it.

  
  


Jerry holds out his hands, wary. “Wait, wait, we don’t have to fight-”

“You’re right, we don’t! You could just move to the side, and we’ll be on our way.” Jay says, staying in a fighting stance, his fists raised. 

Jerry looks worryingly at the fire in Jay’s hands, eyes wide. “Listen, your majesty, we can work out a deal.” 

Gavin huffs from where he’s sitting on the back of Pillow, seeming annoyed.

“Don’t care. Move.” Jay says, Pillow growling behind him. 

Jerry takes a step forward, pausing at both Dan and Stephen raising their weapons threateningly. 

He takes a step back. “Look, we have plenty of people fighting outside the front gates right now. We can pause the fighting, work out the deal, and you can leave, no issues.”

“And what if it’s a trick? I wouldn’t be surprised if you’re trying to buy time so you can lock Jay in his room again.” Dan says.

Jerry winces. “I know, that was a bad decision-”

“It was a terrible decision! You kidnapped my brother and his dragon, just so you could get him back here! Why the hell would we want to make a deal with you!?” Stephen yells, glancing at Gavin.

“I didn’t authorize that! There was a group of guards who were making their own choices.” Jerry defends himself, Jay rolling his eyes. “It’s been a problem since you’ve left, there’s people who are convinced that in order to get you back, they have to resort to such measures.”

“How would we even know you’re telling the truth?” Hosuh asks, voice quiet. “You could be lying, for all we know.”

“I’m not, I swear on the crown, on my  _ life _ , I’m not lying.” Jerry puts a hand over his heart, pleading. “I didn’t send out that order.”

“So you’re saying others are taking things into their own hands to try and get me back here?” Jay says skeptically, raising an eyebrow. 

“I’m going to be honest with you, your majesty, I really think you should get out of here as soon as possible. The people who say they’re doing what’s best for the crown, well, it’s worrying.” Jerry waves a hand, nodding to the four guards around him. They hesitate, and then drop their weapons to the side, Jerry looking to Jay.

Jay hums, waving out his hands and turning off his fire.

“If you want him to leave, then why don’t you just, you know, move, and we can be on our way, taking your precious king to safety?” Stephen swings an arm over Jay’s shoulder, Jay hitting him in the gut. Stephen kicks him in the shin. Dan nudges them both before they start fighting.

“I’d rather we part on good terms, in case Jay is ever willing to return.” Jerry stands up straight, clasping his hands together behind him. 

“Unlikely.” Jay says, smiling.

“Well, do you agree on making a deal, then?” Jerry asks, glancing at Pillow, who’s been staring at Jerry the entire time, making him uncomfortable. 

“First, let’s go stop the fighting, then we can talk.” Jay says, Dan pointing ahead with his sword.

Jerry nods, and turns leading the way down the hall, the others following. They pass the cells and Gavin notices a familiar face.

“Hey, it’s you!” He says, pointing to a guard sitting in a cell, armor still on.

“Huh?” Jerry asks, pausing.

“Who’s this?” Stephen asks, walking over to the bars of the cell.

“Oh, one of the people responsible for the kidnapping. Traitor. We just recently put him in there.” Jerry says, Gavin squinting into the cell from on top of Pillow.

The guard looks up, right at Gavin, and Gavin flinches back, looking away. Stephen notices.

“We don’t have much time.” Dan says, although he doesn’t look surprised as Stephen raises his knife. Hand glowing purple, he brings it down angrily, snapping the lock and slowly opening the door, stepping into the cell.

“I’ll catch up.” Stephen says, looking down at the guard. 

“See you outside.” Dan says, walking past Jerry, who looks with wide eyes at Stephen. 

“What- you can’t just-” Jerry goes to say, walking forward and Hosuh steps in front of him, smiling, shaking his head.

“Keep walking, Jerry.” Jay orders, and they keep moving, leaving Stephen and the guard alone.

\---

Stephen catches up with them a few minutes later, some blood on his hands.

“Did you kill him?” Hosuh asks, making a face at the blood, Stephen wiping it off on his shirt. 

“Nah.” He shrugs, grinning.

“Did you cut his fingers off?” Gavin asks hesitantly. He was only a little serious when he was threatening the guards back then.

Stephen tilts his head at him, shrugging and smiling.

They keep moving.

“Gross.” Gavin mumbles.

\---

The fighting at the front gates stop, Jay’s kingdom and the crowds of guards at the front of the gate, standing in formation.

A good distance across from them, they have the soldiers and people they gathered, both Ann and Elias stand at the front of their own formation. Frank is with the soldiers, seeming to let Ann and Elias take over for this one.

Elias has a sword in hand, standing tall. There’s a cut across his cheek. Ann is holding a loaded crossbow loosely in her hands, completely casual.

They both keep their eyes at the guards across from them, and as Jay walks to the middle of them all with Jerry, he can tell that his kingdom is a bit scared of the way Elias and Ann are staring at them.

Pillow sits by their soldiers, Stephen helping Gavin climb off. 

Jay stands across Jerry, head raised. Jerry looked nervously behind him, to the others standing behind Jay.

“Tone down the glaring.” Jay mumbles to them. Stephen laughs.

“So here’s the deal. We will let you leave, to explore the world and choose your own path. I know that trying to force you to rule and sit on the throne is going to get us nowhere.” Jerry sighs, looking to the ground.

“You’re right about that.” Jay says, crossing his arms.

“At any time, you’re allowed to come back, and you are still recognized as our king.” Jerry continues, nodding.

“I like those terms.” Jay shrugs. “Although you’re not  _ letting _ me do anything. I was going to leave here, with or without your permission.”

Jerry lets out an awkward laugh at that. “Yeah. I know.” He raises out a hand. “So, goodbye? For now?”

Jay shakes his hand. “We’ll see.”

There’s a commotion behind Jerry, multiple guards yelling. 

“What the-” Jerry says, turning around.

“Traitor!” 

“You’re just going to let him leave?!”

“That’s our king, you criminals! You can’t just take him!”

Jay watches with wide eyes as Jerry tries to calm some of them, the guards are fighting amongst themselves, half seeming furious and the other half looking shocked and trying to quell the yelling. 

Swords are getting drawn and there’s more yelling, Jerry getting surrounded by a few loyal guards as threats get thrown out.

“Please, calm down! Be reasonable!” Jerry yells, waving his hands. Some of the guards are swinging weapons at each other, screaming. There’s a lot of them who have eyes on Jay.

Dan walks up behind Jay, tugging at his arm. “We should go, I think this is going to get worse.”

Jay looks to Dan, and the fighting gets worse, someone running out of the crowd and pointing a crossbow.

“YOU’RE NO KING OF OURS!” He shoots the arrow, eyes furious as he aims for Jay.

“Move!” Dan yells, slamming into Jay. 

Jay watches as the arrow hits Dan instead of him, going into his shoulder.

“Shit,  _ Dan!” _ Stephen runs forward, grabbing Dan as he stumbles backwards. 

“I’m fine, I’m fine!” Dan says, Stephen and Hosuh helping him sit on the ground, careful to not touch his shoulder.

“You have an arrow in your shoulder, shut up!” Ann yells, firing off an arrow of her own at the person. 

“Make a circle and keep them off!” Elias yells, their soldiers circling around them as the angry guards from Jay’s kingdom set their sights on the group and start going at them, ignoring Jerry’s orders to stop.

Jay turns to see two guards running at him. He ducks under a swing of a sword, kicking them back. He swings his hands, letting out a blast of fire. They step back, getting jumped by the bandits on their side.

The soldiers start forming a circle around the group, as Jerry yells out an order to stop the traitor guards, fighting breaking out around them, and they’re stuck in the middle. 

Jay looks over the heads of the people fighting and spots the man who shot Dan, still holding a crossbow. He whistles high, Pillow raising his head and looking at him. 

He snaps his fingers, pointing right at the man. “Pillow, attack!”

Pillow roars, everyone around them seeming to pause for a split second at the sound. Pillow runs forward, gliding over the heads of their own soldiers, and Jay turns around, not bothering to watch as Pillow goes to kill a man.

He goes to Dan, kneeling by the others where they’re crowded around him.

“Ow, ow, ow, that hurts,  _ shit _ , OW.” Daniel said, leaning his back against Stephen.

“Hosuh?” Gavin asks, standing next to Stephen.

“Hold on, hold on.” Hosuh said, putting his hands on Dan’s shoulder and tugging his armor to the side, ignoring how Dan kept going “FUCK, ow.”

“The arrow has to be taken out before I can heal it.” Hosuh says, frowning at Dan.

“Oh, great, who wants a go at it then?” Dan laughs a little, wincing. 

Elias is by them, throwing his sword to the side, kneeling in front of Dan. “I got it, hold on.”

Elias gets the arrow out, Dan swearing. Hosuh immediately works on healing the wound, trying to lessen the bleeding.

“We can’t stay here, we need to  _ move _ .” Stephen says, as Dan goes quiet, tired.

“Stephen’s right, I can’t completely heal him here, we need to get somewhere safe.” Hosuh says, magic glowing.

“Gavin!” Ann yells, grabbing onto his arm. “You made all those ice spikes in the town, can you do that here to give us a way out?!”

“I don’t know how to do that! That was on accident, I don’t-” Gavin yells, Stephen grabbing him by the shoulders and dragging him to the side.

“Listen, listen, just take a deep breath, okay? Try and focus, make us a way out.” Stephen tells him, voice comforting.

“I don’t know how-”

“No, you can do it, come on.” 

Ann turns to Dan. “Are you good?”

“I’m fine.” Dan mumbles, blinking as Hosuh huffs, slowly quitting his magic. He can’t do too much, lest he passes out, but he can’t do too little, or Dan’s injury is going to be bad. He finds a grey area.

“That’s such a lie.” Elias hits Dan on the leg, looking around them and grabbing his sword from the ground.

Everyone freezes as there was a strange shattering noise, and walls of ice suddenly rose up around them, making a path away from the kingdom.

“How’s that!?” Gavin yells, then falls to the floor, nearly passing out.

“That’s good, come on.” Stephen tugs him to his feet, carrying Gavin on his back. He turns to the others, Gavin leaning into him as Stephen picks him up. “Let’s go!”

“Dan, can you walk?” Hosuh asks, Dan trying to get to his feet.

“Yeah, hold on-”

“No you don’t. I got you.” Elias says, picking up Dan and ignoring his protests of how he’s  _ fine _ . “Come on, let’s move.”

Jay whistles, Pillow flying high over them as they run past the ice, away from the kingdom. Pillow lands far away from them, Jay sprinting and hopping on top of the dragon. Stephen climbs with him, carefully holding Gavin. 

“Hosuh, get on, grab Dan.” Elias says, Hosuh going with them and holding onto Dan. 

“Are you sure we can-” Jay goes to ask, holding onto Pillows horns.

“Your dragon is only going to hold so many people, me and Ann are going to help retreat. Fly off and we’ll meet you up ahead!” Elias says, turning away and running to the kingdom, Ann at his heels. 

Jay whistles, patting at Pillows head and they go up, flying away from the chaos that was Jay’s kingdom.

\---

They land a few minutes later, going under a tree for shade while they wait for their group to get back.

  
  


Pillow lays down, Jay leaning against him and trailing a hand across his scales. He still has the baby teeth around his neck, under his shirt. 

They lay Dan down on the ground, Hosuh working on healing him, drinking a few potions on the side.

Stephen leans against the tree, holding Gavin, who’s passed out, snoring softly.

They all sit in silence, waiting, until Pillow suddenly raises his head and looks off in the distance. Jay looks up with him, and grins as he sees Ann and Elias riding up, with their group behind them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Half like, oh, I should end this story soon, its getting long, and half, no, dont care, it'll end when i want it to end. We'll see :D


	28. Town shenanigans

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me at the end of the last chapter: Man, this is pretty long, I think I should wrap it up, be done with it...
> 
> Me, a literal three minutes after posting the chapter: Oh but what if I make the adventure go like this, and what if make the plot go this way, and what it-
> 
> I can now say, the ending has changed drastically, and we are now halfway through the planned duration of the this story!
> 
> My gosh I write a lot. Anyway enjoy.

  
  


The entire group gets together, counting people and making sure no one is seriously hurt. They make the decision to move to a small town to rest for a day or two, planning on getting back to Jo’s kingdom eventually, after everyone has gotten rested up.

The town is surprised by their sudden visit of a bunch of tired soldiers and a  _ dragon _ , but they don’t seem to mind, choosing to take the chance to sell what they can to them. They’re friendly. 

Jay is sitting on top of the roof of a random shop, humming to himself as he holds a small knife in his hand. The owner gave him a weird look at first for Jay deciding to sit there of all places, but he then shrugged and gave a wave, walking back into his store. 

Jay swings his feet back and forth as he looks to the soldiers down the street, who are playing cards with a few townspeople, cards thrown all over the old wooden table. They yell and laugh as the game seems to end, some of them losing money. They start up another game, one of them complaining over how they’re really bad at this game.

It’s the middle of the day, and the sun is just barely starting to go down, a wind blowing through the town. Jay picks at the roof with his knife, smiling at the people playing cards and trying to find something new to look at. Maybe he should switch roofs?

“Jay!” Stephen calls from the ground, hands cupped around his mouth. “Hey!”

Jay leans forward, looking down at Stephen, who’s standing in the middle of the street. He’s wearing new clothes, courtesy of Ann deciding to go clothes shopping for them. (read: swiping clothing from shops and Elias frantically trying to pay for it before they get arrested or in trouble) 

He’s wearing something similar to his robe before, but it’s a brighter purple, with blue designs sewed into the sleeves. It’s shorter too, no longer reaching all the way down to his knees. It still covers his belt though, where no doubt he has tons of knives hidden away. 

Jay notes the small gold piercing at Stephen’s upper part of his ear. Both him and Gavin had gotten matching gold piercings within an hour of getting into the town. Dan was too tired and injured to scold them both. Elias had scolded them instead.

“What?!” Jay calls out, leaning his elbows onto his knees as he looks down to Stephen.

“You know where Gavin is? I can’t find him.” Stephen asks, frowning. 

Jay shrugs, tucking his knife away and kicking his legs. “Probably with Pillow.” 

“Well, then where’s your Pillow?” Stephen deadpans, unimpressed.

“Probably on a bed.” Jay grins, Stephen facepalming and groaning at the pun. 

“That’s not even funny!” Stephen yells, throwing his arms up.

Jay laughs, finding his reaction more funny than the actual joke.

“Yeah, it isn’t. Catch!” He leans forward, falling off the roof. Stephen doesn’t even hesitate and steps forward, catching him. The two of them go tumbling to the ground. 

“Ow.” Stephen mumbles, sitting up. Jay brushes dirt off his shirt, getting to his feet and helping Stephen up. 

“Thank you for not dropping me.” Jay nods his head, laughing at Stephen’s expression. 

“You could have  _ climbed _ down.” Stephen huffed, gesturing a hand up to the roof.

“Would  _ you _ have climbed down?” Jay asks, tilting his head.

“.....Nah, probably not.” 

Jay laughs at that, Stephen grinning, and they both turn at the sound of a crash at the end of the street, seeing Ann sprint past them with a small white bunny in her arms.

“DON’T TELL DAN!” She screams, zooming past them. Stephen runs after her, nearly running into Jay.

“Like hell I will!” He yells, running with her.

A minute later, there’s Frank and one of the soldiers running down the street, Frank slowing down at seeing Jay.

“Your majesty, where’s Ann?” He asks tiredly, Jay holding back a laugh.

“No clue.” He lies, pointing down the direction to where Ann and Stephen ran.

The guard with Frank sighs dramatically, obviously already tired of the shenanigans their group gets up to within an hour of being unsupervised. Frank gives them a comforting pat on the shoulder, and nods to Jay, running down the street. 

Jay watches them run off, walking the opposite direction, going to the outskirts of the small town, where there were a few trees scattered around, and a certain dragon laying comfortably under the shade of them. 

“Pillow!” Jay calls, Pillow raising his head and immediately getting up, running to Jay. Jay nearly gets pushed to the ground, Pillow running into him and picking him up into the air for a moment. Jay laughs, placing his hands onto Pillow’s snout. “Calm down, you’re going to tip me over.”

Pillow sits down, looking behind him. Jay looks with him, finding Gavin on the ground where Pillow was, sitting up and yawning. 

“Oh, so you are with him.” Jay says, walking up to Gavin. Pillow follows right behind him, flopping onto the floor and looking up at Jay, pushing a paw to Jay’s boot. Jay nearly trips over.

“Pillow, down.” Jay mumbles, patting at his head. Pillow blows smoke up at him.

“Yeah, I kinda go with him whenever I’m bored.” Gavin rubs at the back of his neck, watching Jay grab Pillow by the horns and playfully push him around, Jay blowing his own smoke at Pillow.

“You guys seem to get along.” Jay grins, pushing Pillow down as Pillow gets all up in his face, nearly poking him with a horn.

“Uhm, sorry.” Gavin says, crossing his legs. He also got new clothes from Ann, almost matching Stephen, except his robe is a dark blue, bright purple design sewed in on the sleeves. He also has a gold colored belt like Stephen, although he doesn’t have an abundance of knives on it, just one, gifted from Stephen.

“What do you mean, sorry?” Jay asks, as Pillow sits up again and pushes at Jay, Jay stumbling a few steps back as he pats at Pillow’s snout. 

“I mean, It’s just- I hang with Pillow a lot, I don’t know if you feel like I’m stealing your dragon, or something.” Gavin shrugs, smiling awkwardly.

Jay  _ has _ noticed how Pillow has gotten attached to Gavin. He’s already found Gavin sleeping under Pillow’s wing three times now, and he’s not sure if Gavin has noticed, but when he was whining over how his new piercing was stinging, Pillow had come running, dragging him off by the shirt. Gavin had thought Pillow just randomly wanted to play, although Jay seemed to be the only one to catch on.

Jay blinks at Gavin for a moment, then breaks out into a laugh, turning the other way.

“Wha- hey! Why are you laughing?!” Gavin sits up straight, putting his hands down on the grass. 

“You’re not-” Jay laughs again, patting at Pillow’s head. “You’re not stealing my dragon. If anything, it’s more of the other way around.” Jay grins, whistling at Pillow, who was looking off in the distance. 

Pillow looks up at him from the floor, and Jay nods his head to Gavin, Pillow staring at Gavin for a moment, then jumping at him.

“Agh! Pillow, get off!” Gavin scoots back, laughing a little with Pillow pushing his snout into Gavin’s face. 

“Have you seriously not noticed Pillow constantly trying to take care of you?” Jay asks, crossing his arms as Gavin is trying to move away from Pillow, who keeps grabbing the back of his hood and dragging him back. 

“I’ve noticed that he’s annoying about me  _ sleeping _ .” Gavin complains, and just as he says that, Pillow moves a wing over him, Gavin pushing at him. “No, no naps, stop-” Gavin gets thrown under a wing again. “I just woke up!” Pillow doesn’t listen.

“I’m going to go check on Dan.” Jay says, turning around. 

“At least  _ help _ me! Jay!” Gavin groans, laying down on the grass and accepting his fate. Pillow rests his head on Gavin’s chest, Gavin sighing.

Jay laughs as he walks to the town.

\---

When they got into the town, they moved Dan into one of the inns, placing him on a bed and making sure he rested, and that’s where he’s been for the day, Hosuh finishing up his healing while the others go about town. 

Jay walks into the room, Hosuh and Elias in the room with Dan.

Hosuh is at the window, sorting bottles and things on a table, putting some potions on his belt. He’s also wearing a new robe, a brighter, more fancy type of clothing. Silver with gold threaded in, along with new black boots. Jay wonders if Hosuh hid a small dagger in there. 

Dan is laying down on the bed, Elias sitting next to his legs, and chatting with him. Dan’s armor was placed to the side, Dan wearing normal civilian clothes.

Elias had a sword at his hip, wearing armor gifted from Jo’s kingdom.

“Hey.” Jay said, Hosuh turning around. 

“Oh, Jay! Hey, have you seen Stephen?” Hosuh asks, smiling. 

“Last I saw him, he was sprinting with Ann after she…” He glanced at Dan. “They were both running around town.” He shrugs.

“They’re off causing chaos again, aren’t they?” Dan says knowingly, Jay laughing. He walks up to the side of Dan’s bed, Dan shaking his head at thinking about what Ann has already gotten up to.

“When aren’t they causing chaos?” Elias asks, Dan nodding. 

Just as he says that, Ann comes running in through the door, holding two bunnies in her arms. Stephen comes in right behind her, holding three bunnies and having one bunny resting in his hoodie, peeking over his shoulder. They both look ecstatic and tired, panting from running.

“How did you get  _ more _ bunnies?” Jay asks, Hosuh laughing.

“You mean they got more?!” Dan yells, Ann smiling innocently.

\--

The day goes by slowly, night eventually coming. 

Elias and Frank convince both Ann and Stephen to return the bunnies. (Although they never even gave a reason as to  _ why _ they grabbed them.)

Everyone finds a place to rest, Stephen going along with Gavin to sleep under the trees, Pillow with the two of them. Ann and Hosuh get beds in the room next door to Dan’s.

Dan’s fallen asleep in his bed, Elias still sitting by his side, reading a book. Hosuh goes to get Elias, Jay coming with and yawning as they come into the room.

“Hey, Elias, we got a bed for you, come on.” Hosuh says, pointing to the door.

Elias looks up, glancing at Dan. “Oh, no, it’s fine, I’ll stay here.” Elias waves a hand, going back to his book.

Hosuh puts his hands on his hips, making a face. “You really should be sleeping.”

“I’ll sleep later, I’m not tired.” Elias flips a page, Hosuh rolling his eyes. This sounds remarkably like Dan’s habits.

Hosuh doesn’t have any of it, walking up to Elias and grabbing his arm. “No, you’ve hardly rested at all on the way here, and I  _ know _ you’re tired from fighting.”

Elias tugs back at his arm, staying in place. “Really, Hosuh, I’m fine. I can stay here.”

“So what, you’re just going to try and stay awake until he wakes up?” Hosuh leans back, crossing his arms, Elias shrugging sheepishly.

“I don’t… I don’t want him to be alone.” Elias closes his book, resting it on his lap.

“He won’t be, we’ll be right next door.” Hosuh says softly, waving for Elias to get up. 

“It’s fine, Hosuh.”

“Come on-”

“I can stay with him if you want.” Jay says, the two of them turning to him. Dan snores softly.

“I was going to go to sleep with Pillow, anyways, I’m sure he’ll be fine without me.” Jay says, noting Stephen and Gavin were probably kicking each other in their sleep right now, Pillow resting with them both. 

Elias looks at him, sighing. “You wouldn’t mind?”

“I’ll tell you when he wakes up.” Jay nods.

Elias hums, putting his book to the side. “I kinda do want to sleep in a bed.”

“Then let’s go!” Hosuh insists, and after some meddling and pushing, Elias is finally going out the door, yawning.

Hosuh turns to Jay. “You sure you’re fine here?”

“I’m good. Go sleep.” Jay grins, sitting down on the ground next to Dan’s bed. 

Hosuh hesitates, then nods. “Alright, goodnight.” 

“Goodnight.” 

\--

Jay slowly wakes up to the sun coming through the window, shining on his face. He lifts his head slowly and looks at Dan, who’s quietly sleeping, not having moved an inch from last night. 

Sitting up straight and stretching, Jay gets to his feet, yawning. 

He should probably wake up Dan, at least so Dan could eat breakfast or something.

Nodding to himself, Jay leans down, shaking Dan by the arm. 

“Hey Dan, wake up.” He whispers, waiting for a reaction. Dan stays sleeping. 

Jay pokes at his arm harshly, yet Dan doesn’t open his eyes, Jay huffing and shaking him again. “Dan, wake up.” 

Dan still sleeps. Jay feels a small sense of dread seep into his heart.

“Dan, get up, come on.” He  _ really _ shakes Dan this time, reaching up a hand and lightly hitting him on the face.

Dan still doesn’t open his eyes. Jay tries to stay calm, hurryingly putting his ear to Dan’s chest. 

A heartbeat beats, sounds steady. He’s fine, it seems, but he’s just not waking up. Jay tugs the blanket on Dan off, shaking him.

“Daniel, this isn’t  _ funny _ , wake up.” Dan isn’t a heavy sleeper, if anything, he’s usually the one up first at any sort of threat, he should be  _ awake _ .

“Daniel!” Jay shakes him again, still not getting a response. “Daniel, wake up!” 

He takes in a shaky breath, Dan still quiet and sleeping. He turns to the door, yelling. 

  
“Hosuh!  _ Hosuh _ ! Dan won’t wake up!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> haha, Dan wakes up in the next chap, he's good yall


	29. Dreams and confusion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AH
> 
> geez.
> 
> in my defense, both school and my brain teamed up and threw my motivation into the abyss, so-
> 
> Anyway, enjoy the chap, I've got big plans.

  
  


Jay’s about a second away from dragging Dan off the bed when Hosuh runs in, Elias at his heels. Ann is right behind them, but stays at the door, eyes worried.

“What’s wrong? What’s going on?” Elias asks, as Hosuh summons his staff on instinct, leaning over Dan. 

“Daniel isn’t waking up.” Jay answers, shaking Dan again. Hosuh swats his hands away, magic glowing as he checks over Dan.

“What do you mean he’s not waking up? He is breathing, right?!” Ann asks, voice panicky. 

“He’s breathing, he’s fine.” Hosuh quickly reassures her, throwing the blanket on the bed to the side. 

Both Elias and Ann still look worried, Ann nodding to herself and jumping up and down in nervous energy. “I’m, I’m gonna go get Stephen!” 

And she sprints off, Jay not being able to respond to her before she’s already out of the building. 

Jay takes a step back as Elias walks up to the bed, sitting down by the bed, grabbing Dan’s hand. “Is he okay? What, why is he-”

“He’s not hurt or anything.” Hosuh says quietly, checking for maybe any injuries he missed while healing him, or maybe a fever of some sort. “He’s...perfectly okay? He’s just sleeping.” Hosuh holds his staff up, face confused. 

“Coma?” Jay asks, Hosuh shaking his head. 

“I don’t know, I don’t-”

“Where’s Dan?!” Stephen comes bursting through the door, Gavin and Ann behind him, Ann yelling about how calm is key and Stephen, you broke the  _ front door _ \- “What’s going on?” His voice goes quieter at seeing Hosuh with his magic glowing. 

“Dan won’t wake up.” Jay informs, as Stephen goes to stand next to Hosuh, looking down at Dan, who’s still sleeping quietly. 

Stephen puts a hand over Dan’s forehead. Dan doesn’t stir, he just slumbers on. Pulling at his shirt, Hosuh checks over where the arrow had hit Dan a few days earlier, but there isn’t much, just a small mark, thanks to Hosuh’s healing. 

“I healed him right, there shouldn’t be anything wrong.” Hosuh mumbles.

“Try healing him again?” Stephen asks quietly, as if it’s just him, Hosuh and Dan in the room.

“I don’t even know what I’m trying to fix, though.” Hosuh responds just as softly, still summoning his magic and using it on Dan even then. 

Gavin is hovering by the door, face pinched. He glances to Elias and notes that he looks torn. 

He’s reminded of how Stephen must have felt when Gavin was kidnapped for what was probably weeks, he’s not sure, time went wonky when he was constantly asleep. Stephen had everyone with him to help him with Gavin suddenly disappearing. Nobody here is really talking to Elias though, he notices, Elias is just staying by Dan, frowning.

Gavin makes his mind in less than a minute, walking over to Elias. “Hey, come on, I’m sure Hosuh has this covered.” He tugs at Elias’ arm, Elias looking up at him.

“Um.” Elias glances to Hosuh, then looks back to Gavin. “But, I, I should-”

“Sitting here won’t do anything, come on, come hang out with Pillow with me.” Gavin drags to Elias to his feet, already pulling him out the door before he gets an answer. 

“Wha-wait, but shouldn’t we-” Elias gives a half attempt at pulling his arm back, but lets Gavin distract him for a moment.

“They got it, Dan will be fine.” Gavin smiles, waving a hand and running, Elias nearly tripping.

“Wait-slow down!” 

Stephen smiles as he hears Gavin laugh with them running out of the building, off to go watch Pillow, probably. He turns his attention back to Dan. 

“So, any idea of what’s going on?” Jay asks, walking up to the side of Dan’s bed. Ann goes to stand by him.

“There doesn’t seem to be anything wrong with him, he’s just sleeping. I don’t get why he would practically be in a coma.” Hosuh says, his magic flickering out as he stops with the healing.

“Maybe he got cursed when we weren’t looking?” Ann suggests, putting a hand to his chin. 

“I’m not kissing him.” Stephen says flatly, Ann choking on her sudden laughter.

Hosuh rolls his eyes, laughing a little at the way Ann is dying with giggles, bending over and trying to catch her breath. Jay feels like it’s half because she thought it was hilarious, half because she’s slightly panicking. 

“Wouldn’t we notice him getting cursed though? I’m fairly sure we did not run into a witch?” Jay notes, crossing his arms. “Again.” He adds, thinking of the time Dan nearly fell down a well.

Stephen shrugs, throwing his hands up and making a “i dunno” noise.

“Why do I feel like this has happened before?” Hosuh mumbles, looking up to the ceiling. 

“What, Dan getting cursed, or Dan not waking up?” Jay asks, raising an eyebrow.

“Yes.” Hosuh responds, Ann breaking out in laughter again. She’s definitely coping with her worries with laughter. 

“I mean, with the shit we get up to daily, I would not be surprised if Dan has gotten cursed again.” Stephen pokes Dan in the head, frowning as he still doesn’t stir.

“Have you guys dealt with curses like this before?” Ann asks, nodding her head to Dan.

“Uhhh,” Stephen looks up, trying to think. “Curses specifically with sleeping, once or twice, curses in general?” He mumbles to himself, holding up a few fingers. “A lot.” He finishes, a tired look on his face.

“So, Dan’s cursed right now.” Jay says, holding up his hands.

“No, I don’t think so. I mean, if he was cursed, we would have noticed.” Hosuh disagrees, shaking his head. “I don’t know what’s up with him, his injury is perfectly healed, and sure, he might have been tired after, but it shouldn’t have been so bad where he would not wake up at all.”

“So what do we do?” Ann asks, furrowing her eyebrows.

Hosuh sighs, rubbing at his face. “I don’t know.”

They all stand in silence, everyone having their own thoughts swarming through their heads. 

Stephen groans in annoyance, clapping his hands together. “Okay! I’m going to go ahead and take Dan’s spot as the voice of reason-”

“You are the worst person to take that spot-” Jay grins.

“Shush!” Stephen points a finger at Jay menacingly, frowning. “I say, we keep moving, and start heading on our way to Jo’s kingdom. Dan is still healthy like this, right?” He glances to Hosuh, Hosuh nodding hesitantly. “Then we go to Jo’s with Dan, and if he doesn’t wake up on the way there, then at least when we get there, we can start working on ways to wake him up.”

Everyone stands there in silence for a moment, then-

“Hey, that’s actually a sound plan!” Ann grins, Stephen glaring at her. 

“ _ Excuse _ me-” Stephen gasps in offence, Ann sticking her tongue out.

“Okay, no fighting! Don’t go making me the parent of the group, I will not be the parent of this group, do you hear me?!” Hosuh points a finger, everyone raising their hands in surrender. Ann holds back a snort, Jay and Stephen looking like they’re terrified. “Great. Let’s start moving out then.”

Jay stays with Dan as the rest of the group moves through the town, gathering up their group of soldiers and reformed bandits. Jay finds out that some of the bandits are actually looking to recruit as a soldier for Jo’s kingdom when they get there. Huh, good thing out of this whole ordeal.

They say their goodbyes and stock up, the townspeople waving them as they start heading out of the town. Dan gets put on Pillow with Jay, and they’re off, on foot to Jo’s kingdom. 

The most they all can do is hope Dan wakes up before they get there, for their hearts sake.

\---

Dan knows he’s sleeping, he’s sorta aware of it, like a fact in the back of his head. 

But it’s quiet compared to the situation he’s currently in, the dream being vivid and so real, Dan barely hears the voice in the back of his mind telling him to wake up.

He’s in a strange arena of some sort, there’s fire everywhere and general chaos. Dan’s used to this at this point, running through the dirt and dodging people with masks over their faces, trying to swipe at Dan.

Dan sprints, kicking one of them away and stumbling as he tries to go to the exit. 

“Jay! Stephen!” He yells, running. The fire is incredibly bright and as he goes into the exit, it turns into a long tunnel, the clanging of weapons echoing around him as he runs, the other side of the exit seeming to stay far away. “Ann?! Hosuh?!” 

He gets to the end, running out and finding he’s smack in the middle of the arena place again, a man with a mask over his face pointing a sword at him. 

“Let it be known, this Everdawn Game, this year, will be won by us! We are the victors!” He yells, Dan rolling his eyes. He does not care. 

“Where are my friends?!” Dan yells, the man barely paying attention to him and rushing forward, running past Dan. Dan watches and he’s shocked to find Jay standing far behind him, panicked with his hands in flames as multiple people run at him. 

“Stop it!” Dan runs after the man, ready to help Jay fight off whoever these guys are, when suddenly the floor seems to shift under him and he’s falling, rolling across the floor. 

He gets to his feet and finds the arena gone, instead he’s in the alleyways of some town. Dan starts running, going down the path. Which kingdom is this? He racks his brain to remember, but he doesn’t know. 

“Jay!” Dan yells, going down a steep path, and coming at a crossroads, turning left. 

He finds himself at the same crossroads again, as if the path he took made him in a circle. Dan goes forward this time, and it happens again. 

Groaning with frustration, Dan runs right, and finally he gets somewhere, the buildings looking different.

There’s a shop with it’s door wide open, someone calling from inside. “In here! You’ll be safe in here!” 

Dan pauses and hesitates, then runs inside, screaming as he seems to fall as soon as he steps inside, everything going dark as he goes into a freefall of some sort.

There’s voices yelling around him, and Dan can’t make it out, breathing heavily as he tries and make sense of it all.

“But she’s just a kid! How is that even allowed?!” He hears Hosuh yell.

Stephen’s voice pops up behind him, Dan trying to turn and see anything in the dark. “It’s an attack! Get them out of here!”

“Turn around, that guy has a knife!” Ann screams somewhere, Dan still not being able to see anything.

“Dan, duck!” Elias yells, Dan holding his head and kicking his legs, trying to see any sort of ground.

He suddenly lands, hitting the floor, breathing heavily. He finds himself in a strange arena, once again. There’s a lot of fire. 

Has Dan gone through this multiple times already?

Dan runs again, repeating it, and in the back of his mind he knows that he’s repeating this for some reason, he’s not living it. 

He’s running through the arena again, the man is yelling about the Everdawn games, Jay getting surrounded, running through the paths, shop, free fall.

Arena again, something about the Everdawn games, Jay, paths, freefall.

It gets to the point where Dan is just running as fast as he can, frantic, barely paying attention to his surroundings.

He’s falling in a free fall for what could be the fifth, maybe sixth time, yelling. What’s going on, what the hell is happening?

“Dan, wake up.” For once that voice isn’t yelling, and Dan grasps onto it, twisting around in the air.

“We really don’t know what to do here, please wake up.” Dan’s yelling, waving his hands out as he keeps falling, trying to focus on that voice. He’s got to wake up, this is a dream, right? What’s going on, he’s dreaming, right? Isn’t this a dream? 

Dan hits the ground again, the voice not coming back. He looks up to see the arena once more and slams his fist into the dirt, yelling. 

He lays down, holding his head and grits his teeth, shutting his eyes closed and sitting up, screaming.

“STOP IT!” Dan yells, his voice cracking a little as he kicks his legs, pulling at his arms as someone’s grabbing at him.

“Dan! Dan, it’s me!”

“STOP IT, STOP IT!” Dan throws a punch, but it’s swatted away, Dan getting grabbed again.

“Ann, get Hosuh!” 

Dan slows at the mention of his friends, shaking his head and kicking a leg again. 

“Dan, open your eyes, come  _ on _ .”

He does, and stops struggling, finding both Stephen and Jay sitting by him, hands raised. They both look worried and relieved at the same time. 

Dan wants to cry at the sight of them, finally, something different. 

“Wha-” He coughs, throat hoarse. 

“Uh, water, water.” Stephen mumbles, pouring out a glass and shoving it into Dan’s hands. Dan scrambles to grab it, staring at it for a moment.

“It’s not poisoned, don’t worry.” Jay jokes, giving a shaky smile, Dan blinking up at him, then taking a sip, then chugging it.

Hosuh runs into the tent, Ann, Elias and Gavin behind him, clamoring to get inside.

“Oh my god, Dan, you’re awake!” Hosuh yells, rushing forward to the ground to hug him. 

“Thank goodness, oh my gosh-” Ann leans forward, putting her hands to her face. 

Elias sits by Hosuh, hugging him right after Hosuh lets go. Dan hugs back, looking over Elias' shoulder, taking note of his surroundings. They’re in a tent, and Dan’s sitting on one of what seems to be multiple makeshift beds laid out on the ground. There’s a few things thrown around, and Dan rubs at his eyes as Elias lets go, trying to remember what happened.

“I can’t believe it, you’re finally awake.” Elias says, smiling. He then shakes Dan by the shoulders, Dan yelling. “Do you have any idea how worried I was?! What the heck!?”

“Finally?! What do you mean- how long have I been asleep?!” Dan asks, looking around to everyone crowding him.

“A week!” Elias responds, Dan staring with wide eyes at him. 

He groans, pulling his knees up and hitting his head against his legs. “I think I need some more water.” Dan mumbles, Stephen pouring out another cup. Jay gives him a pat on the back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "This doesn't make sense!" Well, no, not yet. Say, ya'll remember when Pillow time traveled? Haha, that was fun.
> 
> Till the next chap!


	30. Casual Chaos

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First off, GODDAMN
> 
> I am so, so late. Writer's block has literally been trying to murder me, it's not fun, y'all.
> 
> Second, oh my gosh, we have over 3000 hits, over 300 kudos, and we're also around 70 THOUSAND words, THANKS SO MUCH. 
> 
> Man, this story really has gotten far. Time to go even farther!

Dan just sips at his water while everyone scrambles to deal with the fact Dan is suddenly awake and apparently perfectly fine, according to Hosuh. 

Ann keeps shaking Jay by the shoulders and jumping up and down in happiness, Jay looks like he’s disorientated by the way Ann keeps shaking him.

When Ann does let go of him, Jay trips and falls onto the floor, Stephen laughing as Hosuh asks if Jay’s okay, Jay giving a thumbs up as Ann gives a small apology. 

Gavin goes up to him and pokes at his head, Stephen only laughing harder as Jay shoots a small burst of fire at Gavin for laughs, Gavin freezing Jay’s hand to the floor on instinct in response. He then immediately apologizes frantically as Stephen dies in the background as Jay melts the ice over his hand.

“Are you okay?” Elias asks, Dan looking away from the small chaos unfolding by him and instead turning his attention to Elias, who takes the empty cup from Dan’s hands, putting it to the side. 

Dan resists the urge to roll his eyes at the question, he’s been asked that at least 5 times, and it’s been ten minutes. “Hosuh already checked me over, Elias-”

“No, no, Hosuh knows what he’s doing.” Ann cuts him off, kneeling down next to Dan and frowning. “But are you alright after, like, waking up? You were yelling when you woke up, you know.” 

“Oh.” Dan blinks, not having an immediate response to that.

“Were you dreaming the whole,” Jay waves his hands around, looking for a proper description. “Magical, coma, thingy?” 

“Magical coma?” Dan snorts at that. 

“Coma, curse thingy, listen, we didn’t have a proper name, you were just sleeping!” Stephen quickly says, crossing his arms.

“We didn’t really know what was going on.” Hosuh says, looking down to Dan.

“Well, neither did I.” Dan shrugs, yawning. “I don’t remember anything other than going to sleep after getting healed.” 

“Were you dreaming while asleep?” Jay asks again, insistent on knowing the reason behind Dan’s whole reaction on waking up. 

“Maybe?” Dan raises his arms up, stretching. “I don’t really know. It’s just a blur.” He mumbles, looking to the side.

“Well, that doesn't help with anything!” Stephen yells, throwing his arms up. Dan laughs, giving a ‘what can you do’ shrug. 

Elias is staring at Dan from his left, looking confused. Dan doesn’t turn to him and instead keeps his eyes at where the sun is coming through the entrance of the tent.

Elias gets a certain look of determination on his face, going to put a hand on Dan’s shoulder. “Dan, are you sure you-”

Daniel doesn’t get to hear his question, because Elias gets cut off by the sound of yelling and a crash from outside.

“JAY, YOUR DRAGON IS TRYING TO BITE THE BANDITS AGAIN!” Someone yells from outside, Jay laughing a little and not even moving an inch.

Gavin glances out the entrance, his face going from curiosity to ‘oh fuck’.

“Oh, that’s not-” There’s another crash and some yelling. 

“Elias, come help!” He yells, grabbing Elias by the arm and dragging him to his feet, the two of them running out.

“Pillow doesn’t even listen to you half the time-” Elias says, running with Gavin anyway out of the tent. 

“Okay, Jay, you better go calm down Pillow before things get worse.” Stephen says to Jay, knowing that Gavin is probably going to end up either on fire or encasing something in ice today.

“They’ll be fiiine.” Jay waves a hand, not worried even as a high pitched scream that sounds a lot like Gavin rings out from outside. 

“Yeah, sure, like last time when Pillow thought dropping one of our soldiers from the sky into the trees was the funniest thing?” Hosuh says, smiling and crossing his arms. “I’m sure that’ll turn out just as well.”

“Wait, what?!” Dan exclaims, Jay very much looking away from Dan. 

Jay gets to his feet, pointing a finger at Hosuh. “Shush, no one even died from that.” He runs out of the tent, immediately yelling as he runs off. “Pillow! That is not a toy!” There’s a small roar.

“Okay, anyone mind telling me what I’ve missed in the last week?” Dan asks, having a feeling Pillow making chaos has somehow become a normal thing. 

“Oh, not much.” Ann smiles, waving a hand. 

“PILLOW, PUT GAVIN  _ DOWN _ !” Jay yells from outside, Gavin screaming. 

“I really doubt that?!” Dan says, going to stand up. He stumbles a bit, finding his legs to be more worn out than usual. 

Both Stephen and Hosuh go to help him before he falls back to the ground, Dan putting his arms over both their shoulders to support him.

“You should probably eat something before you start walking around.” Hosuh advises, Dan shaking his head. 

“I’d rather at least be outside first.” He glances at his plain clothes, sword and armor nowhere to be found. “Where’s my armor?”

Ann kneels down the corner of the tent, holding up his sword and the harness. “I got your sword here.” 

Dan reaches out a hand, Stephen taking it instead and handing it to Dan. Dan puts the sword over his hip then nods. 

Dan can walk fine, he’s more weak than anything, but either way both Stephen and Hosuh help him walk out, Ann holding the tent entrance open as they make their way out. 

Stephen immediately holds back a laugh as Hosuh just sighs fondly at the sight before them. 

Dan watches with the urge to laugh at Pillow prancing around the campgrounds, Jay, Elias, and some of the soldiers running after the dragon, who has Gavin hanging by the shirt in his mouth. 

Everyone scrambles to get out of the way as Pillow runs around, jumping off anything he can and occasionally slapping a few people in the face with his tail. Elias yells out an apology any time that happens, not stopping in running with Jay as he usually gets a response along the lines of “nah, it’s fine, raising a dragon has got to be hard.” 

Pillow looks like he’s having the time of his life, flapping his wings and flying up for a moment, then landing back down, jumping over Jay and Elias as he suddenly turns the other way, speeding off.

“Drop him! Pillow!” Jay yells, Gavin screaming as Pillow makes a sharp turn, stopping suddenly to look back at Jay.

Jay holds his hands out, Pillow turning to him and then dropping down on his front legs, huffing smoke through his snout. 

“Hey…” Jay warns, pointing a finger. Pillow blinks, moving to the left. “Hey!” They both pause for a moment, Pillow staring at Jay and Elias as Gavin kicks his feet, still hanging in the air. 

Then Pillow makes a small squealing noise and starts running again, Gavin yelling as Jay and Elias sprint after him. 

“Is...is this an often thing?” Dan asks, watching Pillow run past them, Elias and Jay right behind, yelling.

“Sorta? If Pillow gets bored he usually tries messing with the soldiers or steals Gavin.” Ann explains, shrugging and then running off to help Elias and Gavin. “Pillow! I’ll give you a treat if you drop Gavin!” 

Pillow doesn’t even glance at Ann and instead keeps running, Gavin screaming. 

Hosuh nudges Dan to the side. “Here, come on, let’s go get some food while they work on that.”

Dan walks with them, eye still on the rogue dragon that now has at least 10 people running after it. Pillow doesn’t look like he’ll be stopping any time soon, even with Jay ordering him to stop running.

Stephen and Hosuh are trying to walk him to a little dining area the group seemed to have set up, but Dan drags his feet and is more preoccupied with Pillow, who is…

Now running right towards them. Fantastic.

“Oh no, move!” Stephen yells, the three of them going to move out the way as Pillow speeds towards them.

Dan tugs his arms away from Hosuh and Stephen and instead quickly moves forward, Hosuh reaching out to pull Dan away as Pillow comes right at him. 

“Wait, Dan-!” Hosuh yells, Dan standing up straight and staring at Pillow. 

Pillow suddenly stops, screeching to a halt just inches away from in front of Dan, who holds back a laugh, smiling.

Everybody behind Pillow watches in confusion, Ann leaning over with laughter at everyone’s faces. Jay facepalms while Elias just looks tiredly fond. 

“Wha-so you’re going to listen to him, then? Not me, when I’m literally yelling?” Gavin sasses up at Pillow, who pays him no mind. 

“Drop him.” Dan points a finger at the floor, Pillow narrowing his eyes at Dan. “_Drop_ _him_.” Dan repeats, Pillow dropping Gavin to the floor and sitting back, shifting his wings. 

“Ow.” Gavin says, face planting into the ground. 

Jay runs up to Pillow as Hosuh and Stephen goes with Dan again, Jay talking to Pillow.

Jay grabs Pillow by the snout, tugging at him playfully. “Oh so you listen to him and not me? I had to chase you all around the campground to try and get you to drop Gavin, but you’re just going to listen to him, first try?” 

Pillow growls, Jay pushing at his snout and laughing. “Betrayal, little dragon, absolute betrayal.” Pillow rolls onto the ground, pushing his front paws at Jay’s legs, acting as if he’s a perfectly innocent dragon and hadn’t just caused slight destruction in his path. 

Jay kneels down and pats at the floor next to him, Pillow running into him and Jay getting knocked back onto the floor as Pillow practically climbs on him, putting his head on Jay’s chest, blowing smoke at his face. 

“Okaaay! Let’s hurry and go before something else happens.” Stephen says, practically dragging Dan off as Jay gets left on the ground with Pillow. Elias helps Gavin up while Ann runs ahead to the makeshift tables, yelling to get some food made.

Dan sits down with everyone, eating soup while getting told of what he’s missed while he’s been asleep. 

First off, the whole group has been traveling slowly back to Jo’s kingdom, stopping every now and then to rest and take care of any problems. No one is in a rush to get back, it seems, and it’s been mostly calm.

Well, as calm as it usually is, there was an instance with Pillow picking up some people and then dropping them onto the trees for fun, which led into an agreement that Pillow needed to be given attention lest he get bored and cause trouble. Usually Gavin and Elias did that apparently, although Pillow would still occasionally cause mischief even then.

They nearly got attacked by a pack of angry wolves a few nights back, somehow resulting in a tent getting set on fire and Hosuh getting stuck in a tree.

Dan gave a confused glance to Hosuh at that, Hosuh shrugging sheepishly. 

Stephen had found Daniel the lizard again, apparently said lizard having been chilling in Ann’s bag the entire time.

Upon telling Dan this, Ann then slammed her hands on the table and reached into her bag, remembering about the lizard. 

Which was in her bag again. She threw it at Stephen, who fell off his seat catching it. Dan just drank his soup as Stephen hit the floor.

Now, they’re in the middle of a forest with tall trees, going along a dirt path that should take them back to Jo’s kingdom. It’s apparently the long way around, but no one is complaining, and they don’t exactly have a deadline. 

“So, now that you’re up, we can keep moving, hopefully with less trouble?” Jay says, making an unsure face.

“I doubt  _ that _ .” Stephen scoffs, going to sit on the table rather than the seat. “Also, Dan,” Dan looks at him, holding back a laugh at seeing the small lizard sitting on top of Stephen’s head. 

“Do you really not remember why you were yelling when you woke up?” Stephen asks, frowning. “Not to bother you or anything, but there’s no explanation as to why you slept for so long all of a sudden.”

Dan’s quiet, looking down and tapping a finger at the table. “No.” He smiles, leaning back and waving a hand. “I really can’t explain it, man. Another curse? Bad luck? I don’t remember much, really.” 

“If you say so.” Hosuh says, eyebrows scrunched up.

“Oh, also, where’s my armor?” Dan asks, pointing a spoon up. “Please tell me you still have my armor.”

“Nope!” Ann cheerfully responds, Dan not sure if he should be worried or mad. He settles for confusion. Dan notes Hosuh laughing behind a raised hand in the corner of his eye.

“What do you mean ‘nope’?!” 

“I got you even better armor!” Ann says, jumping off her seat and dragging Dan with her to a tent. “Come on, come put it on!”

“Where’s my old armor?! When the heck did you-”

“Shush!” Ann says, pushing Dan into a tent, Dan yelling.

Dan does find another set of armor, and he’ll admit, it’s much more newer and fancier, with a whole cape hanging at his back. There’s gold designs at the edges and the whole time Dan is putting it on he’s just thinking “where did Ann get this???”

When he walks out of the tent, he asks just that, Ann waving a hand and smiling as the others stand by her, different faces of guilt and no regrets.

“It doesn’t matter where I got it, what matters is that it looks great, huh?!” Ann claps her hands together, smiling.

“She stole it a few days ago, actually.” Hosuh says. “I have no idea from where, but-”

“Hey, I could have paid for it, you don’t know.” Ann raises a finger, Hosuh giving an unconvinced look. 

“We didn’t pay for it.” Stephen says, and Dan hits a hand to his face, sighing. 

Dan has no clue where his old armor went, but he doesn’t have time to ask about that because there’s suddenly a commotion far off and Dan looks to see what seems to be Elias and Gavin sprinting and yelling from the trees, a bear behind them.

Jay’s running too, except it’s after Pillow, who’s looking like he wants to go after the bear.

“Pillow, no! We do not fight bears!” He’s yelling, Pillow pushing his snout at Jay and knocking him over. Jay makes a noise of offense.

“I’m going to fight the bear!” Ann yells, a random knife in hand, running forward.

“I’m helping!” Stephen also yells, also suddenly having a knife in hand and running after Ann.

“Wait, no-” Hosuh protests.

“Stop fighting the bear!” Dan yells, watching as multiple soldiers and bandits attempt at chasing the bear out. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some small headcanons since I got nothing else to say :)
> 
> -Pillow always loves Jay the most, but he'll listen to Dan the most
> 
> -Jay can blow smoke if he gets worked up enough 
> 
> -Gavin tends to wake up with frost on his sleeves in the mornings, but it always melts off by the time he eats breakfast
> 
> -Ann sneaks pieces of meat to Pillow every now and then so she can secretly go flying with Pillow at night. Jay fully knows about this, but doesn't mind one bit.
> 
> -Sometimes Jay sneezes with fire
> 
> -Elias and Gavin actually cause a lot more trouble than you'd think but they usually take care of it before anyone notices.
> 
> Thanks for reading! Until the next chap


	31. a side meal of shenanigans

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can I just say, yall are awesome? If you're still sticking with this story after this WHOLE TIME, kudos man. All the kudos! We all are on this chaotic journey together, let's keep goin!
> 
> Haha, I really do love writing this story, more than you could ever know. I have so many stories to write, as well. I can't wait to tell them all.
> 
> Enjoy the chap!

After an eventful 15 minutes of yelling and trying to get the bear to stop causing havoc in the camp area, the bear does eventually leave, half because of Pillow smacking the bear in the face with his tail, and half because both Stephen and Ann decided that running after it with a stick would be effective in warding it off. (And also would be more fun, in their opinion)

Somehow, it was effective, and Dan just watched in fond exasperation as Ann sat on Stephen’s shoulders, yelling as Stephen sprinted with Ann waving a stick in front of them, the bear retreating and looking more confused and panicked than anything. 

As soon as it was gone, everyone settled back into normality, or at least what normality looked like with these people. 

The tents and supplies got packed up and put away, Frank leading the front as they went down a path, through the trees towards their destination, Joe’s kingdom.

Stephen and Hosuh went on their own individual horses, riding with Frank. Ann got to sit in a cart on top of some crates, sitting precariously leaning to the side, to the point where Dan had to yell multiple times for her to not fall off, to which she responded that she wouldn’t fall off.

Then she fell off, slamming into the dirt. 

She got up and climbed back onto the cart real quick, this time sitting a bit more carefully while avoiding Dan’s knowing look.

Dan rode with Jay on Pillow, Pillow walking calmly along with the slow pace of everyone else as Ann sang some random tunes with her feet propped up on a crate, pointing to Pillow every now and then for him to apparently continue the song. Pillow would make a squeaking roar, Ann cheering and going on with her songs. 

They traveled like that for a good two hours, their whole group of soldiers, bandits and strays making their way back to Jo’s kingdom.

Dan had been leaning his back against Jay’s while sitting on Pillow, looking up at the tall trees towering over them when the whole group had suddenly come to a slow stop.

Ann cut off her one sided conversation with Pillow, looking curiously to the front of the group.

“What’s going on?” Dan asked, sitting up straight.

“I dunno. Oh, Stephen’s coming over here.” Jay responded, Stephen riding over on his horse, slowing down next to Pillow.

“Hey, what’s up, do you know why we’re stopping?” Dan questioned, nodding his head to Stephen. 

“Yeah, I stopped the group.” Stephen said plainly, turning his head to Hosuh, who was right behind him. 

Hosuh rode up on his horse next to Stephen, waving. “Hey, have you guys seen Gavin around? We can’t find him.” 

“Gavin? He was with us when we started traveling.” Jay said, patting at Pillow’s head. 

“Yeah, he was, but I think he might have wandered off? We can’t find him.” Hosuh says, shrugging and smiling awkwardly. 

“Actually, Gavin doesn’t seem to be the only one missing.” Stephen drawls, making a face at Dan. “Hey, Daniel, where’s  _ Elias _ ?”

“How would I know, I thought he was up at the front.” Dan responded, blinking and realizing he hadn’t seen Elias for a while, actually. 

Then he realized that both Gavin and Elias had seemed to become quick friends over the last week, which was good, Dan thought that it was nice of Elias to make friends. 

And then he remembered the fact that the two of them had been the reason there was a bear in the camp this morning. “Oh no.”

“Whoop!” Ann clapped her hands together, all of them looking at her. “We got two blue headed brothers missing, this’ll be fun.” 

“Like I said, maybe they just went to go explore?” Hosuh suggested to Stephen, who groaned loudly in annoyance. 

“ _ Alright _ , I’m going to go find Frank, we’re searching for them.” Stephen said, steering his horse away. Hosuh followed, laughing a little at Stephen’s done tone of voice.

Dan climbed off of Pillow, stretching his arms up as Ann leaped off the cart she was on, stumbling on the floor before running up to Jay, who was still sitting on top of Pillow, and grabbing him by the arm, yanking.

“Come on, Jay, let’s go help look for them.” Ann insisted, smiling wide.

“Don’t go pulling me off-!” Jay screamed as Ann dragged him off Pillow, Pillow seeming not that concerned with the fact Jay was now laying face first in the dirt and instead finding a small butterfly fluttering past the dragon’s head, Pillow blinking curiously at it.

“Up, come on!” Ann pointed her finger up, Jay giving her a glare before picking himself up off the ground.

“I agree with Ann on this one, we should help with looking.” Dan said, walking around Pillow and helping Jay up. He also slightly worried for his brother, but honestly, he knew Elias would be fine. 

It was more of the sort of problem he was going to find with Elias, because there was definitely going to be  _ something _ when they found him, how could there not. 

“Well, where do we start?” Jay asked, and just as he said that, Pillow walked off into the trees, following the little butterfly he was intently focused on. 

“Follow Pillow.” Ann said easily, skipping into the forest after the dragon, Jay and Dan following behind.

They went ahead without worry of getting lost, after all, Pillow could just fly up and they would be able to find the group from the sky. After a good five minutes of stepping over branches and climbing over the occasional ledge, they paused, Pillow sitting off to the side and staring happily at the butterfly, which now rested on a leaf on a tree. 

“Okay, so, Dan, you probably know Elias the best. Where do you think him and Gavin would wander off to?” Ann asked, not looking at Dan as she spun around, gazing at the trees.

“Wouldn’t this be easier from the sky?” Jay noted.

“Well, what if they’re hiding under a tree?” Ann pointed out, raising a finger. 

“Why would they be hiding-”

“Or what if they’re in a cave? We can’t see them in a cave from the sky!”

“Where are there caves around here?” Jay raised his hands to the forest, Dan looking through the trees and listening.

“There’s probably a cave somewhere around here.” Ann responded.

Dan hears faint voices, a conversation far off as Ann and Jay lightly bicker.

“That doesn’t mean they’re  _ hiding _ in one.” 

“What if they got lost in one, instead?” Ann counters, Jay hitting a hand to his face.

“Hey, guys.” Dan says, but Jay continues with his point. 

“They wandered off, found a cave, and then got lost in it, that’s what you’re implying?”

“Guys.” Dan repeats, eyes scanning for anyone. He hears someone again.

“Yeah.” Ann says to Jay, crossing her arms.

Jay raises a finger to argue, then decides against it, humming. “Actually, that sounds kinda probable, to be honest.” He mumbles.

“Hey!” Dan yells, and they both look at him raising a finger over his mouth, face turned towards them and eyes looking off to the side.

Jay and Ann wait, Ann raising a hand to her ear to listen as well.

Dan hears laughter far off, and then immediately reacts, running through the trees and going towards it.

"Hey, wait up!" Ann yells, going after him. Jay sighs and just watches as both Daniel and Ann are speeding off. 

He doesn't follow them, and instead whistles to Pillow, Pillow turning his attention away the little butterfly that caught his attention, which was now resting on top of his snout, the wings fluttering as Pillow turned his head to Jay. 

“Aw.” Jay said at the butterfly, but then focused on the mission at hand, whistling again.

Pillow sneezes the butterfly off, running at Jay and almost knocking Jay over as Jay climbs onto Pillow, patting at his scales.

"Up up." Jay says, and Pillows makes a growl for confirmation then takes off, flying over the trees.

Meanwhile, Dan is going full speed through the forest, finding himself running off a sudden small drop in the terrain.

He acts on instinct and grabs at a branch over him, kicking his feet off the tree as the branch snaps and Dan goes down, rolling easily into the pile of leaves on the ground, no harm done. 

Ann isn't so lucky, and instead goes sailing right off the edge and screams as she slams into the floor, leaves flying up.

Dan stands up and watches in concern as Ann groans into the ground for a moment, then hops to her feet like she didn't just hit the floor like a sack of potatoes.

"I am okay!" Ann exclaims, putting her hands to her hips. Dan rolls his eyes and walks up to her, grabbing his cape behind him and using it to rub at her cheek, which is bleeding from getting stabbed with a stick.

"What are you- no, stop it-" Ann slaps at his hand, Dan unfazed.

"Wait, hold on-" Dan dodges Ann trying to smack him again.

"No! I am  _ fine- _ " 

"Let me just-"

"Its a scratch-!"

"Why do you always get injuries on your face?" Dan wonders out loud, Ann groaning and giving up on her failed attempts of getting Dan to stop as Dan holds her fabric to her face.

Dan glances around, thinking of going to go search for Hosuh, maybe.

He then remembers they left Jay in the dust, but isn’t too concerned. Pillow can take Jay wherever he needs to go.

Dan spins around at the sound of voices coming towards them, Ann raising a stick in defense.

"I can't  _ believe _ you did that-" Dan hears Elias' voice coming towards them, sounding baffled.

"Hey, it was partly your fault! Also, ice magic, new thing, I’m getting the hang of it still!" Gavin's voice cuts him off, and Dan hears some branches snapping, watching the two of them walk out from the trees over to where he and Ann are.

"My fault? So, what, you get worked up-" They both pause, staring at Ann and Dan.

"Found them!" Ann says triumphantly, as if she had worked tirelessly to find them when really they walked right to them. Dan laughs behind a hand over his mouth.

"Where's Stephen?!" Gavin blurts out, looking around as he notices that it's just Ann and Daniel. 

"I dunno, we broke off from the group. Although last I saw him, he was probably about to go make the bandits in our group looking for you two." Ann tells them, Dan blinking at Elias and making a confused face.

"Why do you have frost on your armor?" Dan asks, both Gavin and Elias looking panicked. 

There's frost all along Elias' side, and trailing up his arms. Dan notes there’s a bit of frost on Elias’ hair too, but it looks mostly melted. Gavin also has plenty of frost on him, although only at his sleeves and boots, it seems.

"Uh-" Gavin doesn't even say a word as Elias slaps a hand over his mouth. 

"Oh, it was just," Elias waves his free hand, looking for words. "...a, uh, bit of an accidental magic thing. We got lost, Gavin panicked, and there was a lot of ice, that's all."

He moves his hand off of Gavin's mouth, nudging him in the side. 

"Yeah! I kinda, kinda, acted on, like, instinct, and it went….pretty wrong." Gavin looks with a guilty face to the ground, Dan only even more confused by that response. 

Ann squints at them and shakes her head at their suspicious explanation . "You two are terrible at lying. My ears, my  _ eyes _ , ah, you disappoint."

"Wait, how much ice are we talking about?" Dan raises his hands, ignoring how Ann just shakes her head at Gavin and Elias, Elias giving her a flat stare in response. 

"Oooh." Gavin glances behind him. "There was...there was a lot." He smiles and shrugs, Elias looking to the ground with a face that just yelled 'oh boy this is going to go well'.

"GAVIN!" Stephen's voice screams out from the trees. "WHERE THE  _ FUCK  _ ARE YOU?!" 

Gavin whips around, pushing Elias in front of him. "Oh  _ no- _ "

"Wha- don't push me in front! I'm not dealing with Stephen-" Elias scrambles to get away as Gavin tugs him by the arm.

"Well,  _ sorry _ , but you're practically the reason I froze the freaking lake-" 

"That doesn't mean I wanna be a human  _ shield- _ " Elias knocks a fist on Gavin's head, Gavin swatting at him while still not letting go of Elias' arm.

"Wait, hold on, did you just imply you froze a  _ lake- _ " Dan asks, but his question goes unheard as Stephen suddenly runs out from the trees, Hosuh behind him looking tired. Dan notes there’s a leaf on his head.

“You!” Stephen goes to point at Gavin, who screams as Stephen runs and jumps at him, the two of them falling to the floor.

Elias takes a step back, hands raised.

“First off, what the hell! You guys wander off now of all times?! Second, what happened with that lake!?” Stephen yelled, Gavin wheezing as he got jabbed in the gut.

“Would, would you believe me if I said that the lake  _ wasn’t _ my fault?” Gavin smiles wide, Stephen giving him a look that answered his question. “Worth a try.” Gavin mumbled, his head falling back to the ground. 

“I mean, if the lake was frozen flat, it might have been believable? But that ice is not natural. Kinda a dead giveaway.” Hosuh shrugged, Gavin frowning. 

“Hey, not my fault, my magic went wild.” Gavin defended himself, Stephen raising an eyebrow.

“How powerful are you to make something like that on  _ accident _ ?” Stephen asked, waving a hand before Gavin could even form a response. “Never mind, let’s go back to the group, we should get going.”

“Wait I want to see this ice! Sounds interesting.” Ann grinned, Stephen rolling his eyes. 

“It won’t be hard to miss.” Hosuh said, waving his hand for them to follow as he walked off to the apparent direction of the lake. Stephen helped Gavin up, all of them walking with Hosuh.

“What do you mean…” Dan trailed off as he spotted a spike of ice that towered over the trees. 

Which was just the one of many, many spikes. As they got out from the trees, Ann made a noise of surprise at the large tower of ice in the lake.

Half of the lake was frozen solid, ice growing past the surface and reaching up into the sky and trailing off into the forest in some parts, looking like an explosion of some sort caught in the moment. The other half looked like it was perfectly fine, the water looking more cold if anything. 

“You did that?!” Ann yelled, running up to the lake. There was a spot where you could tell Gavin had been standing, a small thawed out circle by the shore, the base of the ice spikes sitting here. There was frost all along any trees nearby.

“It’s honestly impressive.” Stephen admitted, crossing his arms and gazing up at the ice. 

Gavin smiled, laughing, then screamed as Stephen grabbed him by the hood, putting an arm over his shoulder and rubbing a hand at his hair.

“Don’t think I’m not over you just wandering off! Ice magic or not, you freakin-”

“I get it, I get it! Stephen let go-!” Gavin whined, whacking Stephen’s hands away.

“Completely disappeared! Not even a word-!”

“It was Elias’ idea!” Gavin yelled, throwing Elias under the bus, who was currently standing quietly off to the side, very carefully trying to not get any attention.

Dan turned his attention to Elias, who froze in place.

“It was your idea?!” Dan asked.

Elias started to sprint, Dan tackling him and yelling.

“Aren’t you supposed to be the responsible one!?” Dan yelled, Elias bursting out laughing as he pushed Dan off easily.

Ann hardly paid attention to their bickering, instead looking up at the top of the ice. She spotted Jay flying over with Pillow, waving up at him as Dan started half-heartedly scolding both Elias and Gavin. 

“Hey, look, it’s Jay!” She said, pointing up. Hosuh gave a wave, laughing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for readin, I'll try and update again soon! (I am a bit slow with the updates, haha)
> 
> Till next chap!


	32. Moving along

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shout out to MARI, who loves this fic and also loves gushing about it-
> 
> Yes, I know you're reading this, love, haha, enjoy the chap.
> 
> (I'm terrible with updates, I know, I'm working on a schedule)

Overall, Dan likes to think that him and his friends are something along the lines of adventurers, or maybe even heroes. 

In order to really think that one he has to kinda ignore the multiple bounties on their head and the many kingdoms they’ve been banned from, though.

They do follow the laws, though! Occasionally. Well, only if it’s not inconvenient. 

Dan will not answer if you were to ask him if he’s mugged someone before. (He has, multiple times.) Stephen would probably say something along the lines of “maybe, but where’s your proof?” Hosuh would shrug and say only if necessary. Ann…

Ann was Ann, why did you need to ask her if she’s mugged someone? 

Jay was the only one who’s broken the least amount of laws, but the only reason for that is because he was a king a few weeks back. Ann says it’s a matter of time.

Which brings us to the current moment, where Dan is staring both Stephen and Jay down, the two of them looking off to the side and not making eye contact while also completely soaked in what looks to be wine, maybe. 

Or blood. At this point Dan just hopes they get to Jo’s kingdom without a few more bounties. Jo can only pardon so much. 

“Okay.” Dan claps his hands together, frowning. “What happened.”

Stephen snorts, slapping a hand over his mouth as Jay gives out a choked laugh as well, then they’re both giggling and elbowing each other, Dan looking up to the sky for strength. 

“I think they’re drunk.” Ann says, Hosuh laughing quietly and putting his hands to his face. 

“Maybe.” Dan considers, putting a hand to his chin. “I still would like to know what even happened. They were gone for 20 minutes!” 

20 delightful minutes of the slow realization that Dan was missing his two most chaotic friends. And only a day after both Elias and Gavin wandered off, too. 

Dan had went from “hey I haven’t seen Stephen and Jay in a while” to “wait where are they” to “they’re not here” to “THEY’RE NOT HERE-”

They found them five minutes later, or rather Stephen and Jay found them, trying to sneak back into the camp they set up for the day. They hadn’t been very quiet.

Both Stephen and Jay are still laughing, although now they’re sitting on the floor, leaning on each other. 

“Is that wine or blood?” Hosuh asks, slightly concerned as he points a finger to Stephen, who lays back on the dirt, waving a hand. 

“M’ dunno.” Stephen mumbles, shrugging on the floor. “We’re fine,  _ Daniel _ .” Stephen drawls, before then rolling over and swearing under his breath as he accidentally hits Hosuh’s foot. 

Hosuh just gives Dan a look. 

“I actually don’t...no, I’m not sure what happened.” Jay says thoughtfully, tapping a finger at his cheek. “Stephen found a spoon though.”

Stephen digs into his pocket and produces said spoon with his face still smushed into the ground. “I found a spoon!” 

Hosuh gently takes the utensil, nodding to Stephen then walking over to Ann as Dan decides to deal with them both, calling over Pillow.

“Hey, how far are we from Jo’s kingdom again?” Ann asks, stretching her arms up. “To be honest, I’m getting tired of traveling, and exploring is nice and all, but I really wanna live in a castle for a day or two.”

“I don’t know if Jo would let us live in his castle, but I guess a nice bed does sound nice.” Hosuh says, twirling the spoon in his hand. He fumbles with it, nearly dropping it but catching it at the second. “Frank said we only needed about a week more of travel, then we would get there.”

Ann hums, frowning. “Wait, what do you mean Jo wouldn’t let us live in his castle?!”

Hosuh makes a confused face. “Is that seriously a question you’re asking?”

“We’re a  _ delight _ , Hosuh, he should be honored.” Ann holds a hand to her chest, beaming. 

Hosuh glances over to where Dan is dragging both Stephen and Jay onto Pillow, seeming set on taking them somewhere.

“Dan, put me  _ down _ , I  _ will _ stab you _ -” _

“No you won’t.”

“You’re just going to use  _ my own _ dragon to kidnap me, is that it-”

“We’ll be right back!” Dan waves cheerfully to Hosuh as Pillow takes off with the three of them.

Hosuh looks back at Ann. “Again, is that really a question that needs to be answered.”

Ann puts her hands up, shrugging. “Hey, Jo can say ‘being wanted in 20 different places across the lands’ is bad or whatever, but  _ I _ call it being a fun person.”

Hosuh laughs, poking Ann in the arm with the spoon. “Sure, go ahead and call it that.”

“Hey, don’t go acting like I’m the worse one here. You, on the other hand-”

Hosuh waves a hand, scoffing. “No, no, that’s just on accident. We get into trouble, sure-”

“That one kingdom with the guy with a red beard.” Ann immediately says. 

“He was being mean to his cute little pet, that one was justified!” Hosuh defends himself, raising his hands.

“You three burnt down a whole vault full of gold for a ferret.”

“Shush.” Hosuh turns away, fiddling with the spoon in his hands. “All in the past.”

“It was a few months back-”

“Innn the past.”

Ann doesn’t get to get another point in because Pillow comes back with Dan, Jay and Stephen, except both Jay and Stephen are soaking wet, like they got dropped in a lake.

“Where did you guys go?” Ann asks, crossing her arms.

“Well-” Dan starts, all of them getting off of Pillow.

“He threw us into a _fucking_ lake.” Stephen says, wrapping his arms around himself, water dripping from his hair. 

Hosuh holds back an laugh. 

“Don’t you feel refreshed now?” Dan smiles, Stephen glaring in a way that screams murder.

“I feel annoyed.” Jay says, then claps his hands together, taking a deep breath in and huffing out smoke. Hosuh watches as the water literally steams off of Jay, and in less than a minute, he’s perfectly dry, shaking his head of any excess water.

Ann squints at Jay in confusion and awe. “You can do that?”

Jay shrugs, waving smoke off his clothes. “Apparently?”

Stephen huffs, squeezing out water from his sleeve. “Well, I can’t.” He turns to Dan. “Hey, Dan-”

“No, go away-”

“Come here!”

“Get away from me, YOU’RE SOAKING-”   
  


“WHO’S FAULT IS THAT!?” 

“ _ NO- _ ” Dan screams as Stephen starts sprinting after him, hands reached out for a hug.

\---

The group does keep moving, slowly but surely, with of course the occasional trouble brewing up here and there. Dan’s sitting on a cart with Elias as they go down a field, Elias chatting with him over his activities in the past few days.

“The other day I found a lizard in my boot, which, I guess wasn’t that weird, but the fact that it happened five times in a row was a bit strange.” Elias says, shaking his boot that’s hanging off the cart as if checking if he really got the lizard out.

“Oh, that’s probably Stephen’s lizard. He keeps putting it wherever. I honestly don’t know how he hasn’t lost it yet.” Dan says, pulling his knees up and sitting crisscross, looking at the grass.

“Didn’t he name it Daniel?”

Dan sighs, facepalming. “He calls it the Cooler Daniel, I should have never let him keep it.” 

“Let him keep it?” Elias grins, tilting his head.

“No, like-” Dan waves his hands. “We were setting up camp a while back with just the four of us, and he was going around trying to catch a lizard on the ground. I was going to make him help us, but he seemed like he was having fun.” 

Elias laughs, shaking his head. 

They go into comfortable silence, listening to the sounds of the group walking along the path.

Leaning back, Elias sighs, looking off to the side where Stephen is riding on a horse, Gavin screaming and sitting behind Stephen. Stephen never does seem to value safety when riding on a horse.

Dan laughs quietly at Gavin hitting the back of Stephen’s head, yelling to slow down.

“That’s a reason I never like sharing a horse with Stephen.” Dan says, Elias smiling.

But then his face goes serious, Elias turning to Dan. “Dan, have you been okay?”

Dan blinks at his brother, face blank. “What?”

“Have, have you been alright these past few days? You seem happy, I know that, and I know you’ve been getting rest as well, but you’re…” He waves his hands. “Uneasy?”

Dan shakes his head, shrugging. “I’m not sure what you mean by  _ that _ . I mean, I guess I’m always on guard, but that’s more because of the fact things get set on fire every other day-”

“Is this over the sleeping thing?”

Dan shuts up, leaning back. 

“Elias.”

“Sorry if I’m being pushy, or something, but really, that freaked all of us out, okay? We were worried-”

Dan laughs, nudging Elias in the arm. “I’m fine now, right? Maybe I’ll just avoid getting shot in the shoulder now-”

“Dan, you woke up looking terrified.” Elias says sternly, pointing a finger at Dan, who has to lean back to avoid getting jabbed. “You tell me what’s going on or I’ll ask Jay for Pillow and dangle you off the edge fifty feet up in the sky-”

“Geez, Elias!” 

“I mean it!”

“Okay, okay, but you don’t have to threaten me!” Dan whined, leaning very far back. “It’s…”

Elias crosses his arms.

Dan sighs, rolling his eyes. “It’s really not that big of a deal. I’m a little paranoid. It feels like something big is about to happen.”

“Like what?” Elias leans his shoulder on Dan’s, Dan huffing.

“I’ll tell you when I figure it out. Something’s going to happen, or, is happening? Or, could have passed already, maybe?” Dan mumbles, thinking.

“What do you mean by that?” Elias asks, face confused.

Dan shakes his head. “Not sure.” He looks at Elias, smiling. “When I figure it out, I’ll tell you, okay?”

Elias frowns, but leans forward and hugs Dan anyway. “You better.”

\---

Just because you get a new fancy shiny sword, doesn’t mean you’re automatically really good with it, even if it does look super cool. 

Yanna is a bit sad over that fact, to be honest. But she does put her work in, and she practices as much as she can, even if multiple people have pointed out that maybe that particular sword is too fancy for her.

To which she then responds by picking the jewels off the sword and selling them for a nice amount of coins. 

She’s running home that day, said sword tied to her back and a good amount of gold in a bag held in her hands. She gets to an alleyway, then climbs a wall, goes under a broken fence, jumps across a roof, squeezes through two narrow walls that seem to get dustier each time she goes through and finally, drops through a hole in the roof, down into a quaint run down home.

It’s not much, it’s dirty, and hidden away in the broken down part of the kingdom, but Yanna enjoys living here, and her mom makes it a home worth living in.

“Mom!” Yanna yells, nearly tripping over a rock. “Guess what I got!” 

“Over here!” Ivu says from the kitchen, and Yanna wanders over to find her cooking what’s probably soup in a pot over a warm fire. “What’d you find today, Yann-” She stops at seeing the bag in her hands. “Please tell me that's not another snake.” She smiles, Yanna rolling her eyes.

“No, it’s not. That was one time.” Yanna says, walking to the side and pulling a chair from the table nearby. “Here, sit down.” 

Ivu limps over to the chair, sitting down and taking the bag from Yanna. “Well, if it’s not a snake, then what would you-” She pauses at seeing the pile of coins. 

“Ta-da!” Yanna shakes her hands up in the air, grinning. “We’re going to fly by this week, no issues!”

“Wha-where did you get this?!” Ivu asks, eyes wide. 

“You know this fancy sword I got from that weird group a while back?” Yanna says, untying the sword from her back and holding it out. “I pried off the jewels with a rock. Sold them at the market, the one far down?”

“You ran all the way over there?” Ivu asks, closing the bag. “Aren’t you tired?”

“Nah.” Yanna shrugs, waving a hand. She walks over to the metal pot holding their dinner for today, putting her sword resting on the wall. “I tripped down a hill on the way there, but I’m good!”

“That explains the blood on your knees.” Ivu notes, and Yanna looks down to find, ah, so she did get injured.

“It doesn’t hurt?” Yanna shrugs, smiling awkwardly. “Is the money enough? For your leg?” She asks.

Ivu smiles, sighing. “Aw, Yanna.”

“Someone could heal your leg for that sort of money, right? I mean-”

“No, no, we’ve gone over this.” Ivu reminds gently, getting up slowly and putting the bag of money to the side. “There’s hardly any healers around here, and even then, they charge far too much for a healing.” 

“I could still run over to the other side of town!” Yanna insists, Ivu walking past her to grab some bowls. “They’re cheaper and better there, right? So if I pay them to follow me-”

“Yanna.” Ivu says, and Yanna slumps, frowning. “You know that wouldn’t really work.”

No healer in their right mind would follow a random kid to the poor side of town 20 minutes away. Yanna would have a better chance on just mugging a healer.

“I know.” Yanna sighs, sitting down against the wall. She looks at her sword, which is still golden and bright, even without the jewels. “What if I sell my sword?”

Ivu laughs abruptly, putting a hand to her mouth. “Yanna, really, this is enough. We won’t have to worry about food of any sort for a while, and,” She raises a finger, making a bowl of soup for Yanna. “I think I might have gotten a job.”

“Really?!” 

  
“Well, there’s a chance. There’s an opening for painting a mural down a few streets. If it goes well, I might get hired again.” She explains, giving the bowl to Yanna.

“Oh. Well, can I help? With the painting, I mean.”

“Of course.” Ivu says, walking over to get her own bowl as Yanna eats. 

Yanna looks at her sword again, humming. “I could also get a job. Well, kinda.” 

“What sort of job would that be?” Ivu asks, smiling down at Yanna sitting on the floor. 

“I’ve been practicing with my sword, right? Everyday, and even though I got kicked out of the royal training grounds, I still got some good tips.”

“I still can’t believe you actually snuck in there.” Ivu mumbles, shaking her head.

“It was a good thing! I got that sword from that weird group. But basically, I think I’m doing pretty good, so-” She digs through her pocket, pulling out a crumpled up flyer, standing up and holding out for Ivu. 

“I’m going to sign up for the Everdawn Games.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heheheheheh


	33. Entering the kingdom (and starting on the shenanigans)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: Nooo you can't just give me a bunch of cool ideas but with zero motivation!
> 
> My brain: Haha, procrastination go brrr
> 
> \---
> 
> HELLO, yes I'm late, writing has been stupidly hard (I can't tell you how many times I've been rewriting different paragraphs AHHH)
> 
> but here I am! With a larger chap than usual as an apology! enjoy, kiddos

  
  


“Okay, I can’t believe I’m saying this, but have you considered breaking into the royal training grounds again? Instead of joining...” Ivu took the flyer from Yanna with an unsure look. “This?”

Yanna slapped a hand over her mouth, poorly hiding a snort.

“No, no, really!” Ivu insisted, holding the flyer to her chest, as if hiding it from Yanna would make her change her mind. “I feel like  _ that _ would be a bit safer than trying to fight to the death in an arena-!”

“But it's not to the death!” Yanna pointed out. “If the opponent that round yields, then I win and I don’t have to stab them.” She shrugs, throwing her hands up. “Well, stab them more.”

“How do I put this?” Ivu mumbled, looking up. “Uhm, that’s still not safe?!”

“I can hold my own.” Yanna responds, going to grab her soup she placed to the side, standing up and sipping at it.

“Yanna.” Ivu says, staring at the flyer with such an intense look that Yanna feels like the paper is seconds from setting on fire. 

“The main prize is gold!” Yanna says cheerfully, turning around to Ivu waving her spoon. “Lots of it. If I win, we could even buy a new house!” 

Hell, with this prize, they would have a whole different life. Not just a new house, new clothes, food, they’d probably even be able to buy a horse with all that, with this. 

That thought lingers for a moment with Ivu, the thought of her and Yanna not having to be here.

Ivu shakes her head, putting a hand to her face as she puts away the thoughts. “Wouldn’t this be dangerous? You could get hurt.”

“But we could afford a healer.” Yanna throws back, Ivu smiling. Ah, of course.

“I’ve told you time and time again, I can do without a healer, Yanna. It’s a little hard to walk, at most, but you don’t have to worry about that.” 

“I do worry, though.” Yanna says, frowning. “And this is a perfect opportunity! I have this sword-” She waves a hand to said gold sword, putting her bowl to the side on a table. “I have some experience, and training. I’m small, but that means people are going to underestimate me.”

“Yanna…” Ivu trails off.

“They won’t see it coming, a small child stabbing them in the foot and telling them to yield.” Yanna grins, Ivu turning her back to Yanna to hide the smile on her face. She slowly walks over to the counter.

“Listen, I don’t know...there can be other ways to get money, you know. I’m sure that you could get a job when you turn sixteen?” Ivu says, stirring at the pot of soup over the fire. “Or you could help me with my job? If we work harder, it could go well-”

“Mom?” 

Ivu falters at her daughter’s tone, sighing. 

She turns back to Yanna, who smiles up at her. Her face is set with determination and Ivu already knows that there wasn’t really a point in trying to convince Yanna. She was going to be fighting either way.

“I got this.” Yanna states, nodding.

Ivu smiles back, taking a deep breath in. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah.” Yanna gets to her feet, walking over to Ivu to hug her. “I’ll fight for you. I’ll win, for sure.”

Ivu hugs her back, closing her eyes. She should probably insist no. Or tell Yanna that it won’t happen. Be assertive, make Yanna listen.

Yanna’s always been this sort of kid, though. The fact that she broke into the royal training grounds way back proves that. 

(And the way she once picked a fight with a thief, in the middle of the street in broad daylight. Yanna had come home with a bruised fist. She had told Ivu that he tried to rob the little money she had to spare, so she fought for it.

And with the way she had once stolen a bag of apples, running across town for an whole hour in order to get away, just because Ivu had said she was a little disappointed over how they couldn’t afford the fruit that week. She had come home beaming, and the apples had tasted great, if Ivu was being honest.

And with the way she had thrown a chair into a robbers face the last time their home got broken into in the middle of the night, yelling a battle cry. Ivu didn’t even know who had broken into their house, they ran for their lives as soon as Yanna came at them with a stick, threatening to obliterate their kneecaps.)

Ivu honestly isn’t sure where this girl gets it from. But she knows Yanna, and she knows that the chance of Yanna winning is there, it’s a possibility.

So she squeezes Yanna as hard as she can, ignoring her complaints of how she’s dying from this hug, and just smiles. 

“Okay.” She agrees.

“Really?!” Yanna looks up, beaming, immediately stopping with her complaining over Ivu squishing her. “Actually?!”

“Yes? Did you think I wasn’t going to agree?” Ivu asks, raising an eyebrow.

“A little.” Yanna says, going to take a step back. Ivu hugs her again, nearly picking Yanna up with it as Yanna whines. Ivu feels her leg sting with a sharp pain as she puts Yanna down, but she ignores it, turning her full attention to Yanna.

“But listen. You have to promise to keep training and to stay safe.” Ivu says, letting go of her and taking Yanna by the shoulders. “If you are in a fight you can’t win, yield. Okay?”

Yanna nods, smiling. “Got it.”

Ivu sighs, finally letting go of Yanna. “If you really do win, I’m not sure how I’ll even react.” She says, putting a hand to her face.

“With joy for your new healed leg?” Yanna grins, Ivu rolling her eyes.

“Yes. With joy.” Ivu repeats, nodding her head. “I’ll be proud either way.”

\---

  
  


When Dan and the others finally do get to Jo’s kingdom, it’s not in the way that they really planned. (To be fair, when does anything go to plan these days?)

Dan was expecting the group to keep traveling, to go up to the front gates, go in, meet up with Jo. Maybe have it be a little slow with the fact they had some reformed bandits with them and the guards might be wary, but eventually get in, and get some rest. 

Dan had later found out that Ann and Stephen made a bet to see who could get to the front gates first, resulting in them running ahead of the group and causing general chaos.

He was sitting on the back of Pillow with Jay, watching as the gates got closer and closer as the group walked along the path to the kingdom.

Then Ann and Stephen sped past them on horses, screaming at the top of their lungs as they raced ahead, leaving dust in their trail.

Dan stared at them in disbelief while Jay laughed a little, putting a hand over his mouth. 

“What are they doing?!” Dan asked, sitting up straight and leaning onto Jay while squinting at the two disaster twins.

“Having a race, I think.” Jay responded, voice amused.

“They should stay with the group.” Dan mumbled, but smiled to himself, watching the two of them laugh and try and get ahead of each other. Ann rode her horse near Stephen’s, kicking her leg out to try and kick him off.

Dan got a little worried at seeing Stephen start standing up on his own horse, crouching down and holding an arm out, knife in hand, Ann screaming and getting away as Stephen yelled threats for cheating.

Then another horse sped past Pillow, Dan snapping his attention to it and watching with wide eyes to see Elias and Gavin on it, following Ann and Stephen. 

Hosuh was right behind them, yelling something about how this wasn’t the best idea. Dan knew he wasn’t really meaning it, he was smiling far too much to actually be hesitant over it.

“He’s catching up!” Gavin yelled from his horse, hitting at Elias’ shoulder and laughing as Hosuh grinned behind them, going faster on his own horse.

“I’m going as fast as I can!” Elias yelled back, speeding up to try and catch up to Ann as Gavin wrapped his arms around him, laughing hysterically. Out of adrenaline or fear, honestly, Dan couldn’t tell.

Dan watched with an open mouth, scoffing in disbelief.

He then glanced at Jay and found him to be cracking his knuckles, grinning. 

“Jay,  _ no- _ ” Dan protested, but it wasn’t going to do anything. Jay gave a sharp whistle, Pillow raising his head.

“Pillow, run!” Jay pointed a finger forward, Pillow giving a squeal and then breaking out into a sprint, Dan screaming as he held onto Jay. 

Jay laughed like he was having the time of his life, eyes focused on Hosuh as Dan swore under his breath, just trying to not fall off the dragon that was picking up momentum.

“OH, HOSUH!” Jay yelled, Hosuh glancing behind him with wide eyes to see a dragon running at full speed.

“THAT’S SHOULDN’T BE FAIR!” Hosuh screamed, Jay laughing maniacally. 

Stephen, who was still at the very front, stood straight up on his horse, miraculously not falling off and looking behind, calling out to Ann at what he saw.

“And Jay has joined the race!” Stephen called out, his hands curled into fake binoculars, focused on Hosuh screaming and trying to race away from Jay. 

“On Pillow?!” Ann asked incredulously, glancing behind her and watching as Jay rode up to Hosuh and yanked him off his horse, Dan holding onto the healer as they caught up to Gavin and Elias.

“Yup!” Stephen hopped down onto his horse, picking up the reins and leaning forward, holding back a giggle that threatened to come out. “Race like your life depends on it, Ann, we have a dragon after us!” 

“AHHH!” Ann screamed as a response, Stephen giving in and erupting into laughter.

Meanwhile, at the front gates, there were two guards doing their usual job, talking about whatever to pass the time, not having noticed the chaos coming towards them yet.

“I’ve sorta been trying to branch out into it.” The first one said, shrugging while fiddling with their spear. “I got a gig at this one bar, I’m supposed to be singing on stage.”

“Good for you, man! I believe in you.” The second guard said, giving a thumbs up. He gave an encouraging pat on their shoulder. 

“Really?” They asked, beaming.

“Yeah! You’ll go far!” He insisted, nodding. “I’ll be there, for sure.”

“Thanks, man.” The first guard responded, nodding back. They then finally noticed Stephen and Ann approaching. “Wait, what’s-” They cut themselves off at seeing Jay at the very back, Pillow looking like he was having the time of his life as he ran behind Gavin and Elias.

“...is that a dragon?” The second guard asked, his tone sounding a little mystified.

They didn’t go father with their conversation, Stephen getting to the gates, yelling up at them.

“Hey! Open up! We got a whole group coming in!” He yelled, cupping his hands around his mouth. Ann gave a wave from the ground.

“What business do you have here?!” The guard asked, Stephen rolling his eyes and groaning.

“We’re friends with the prince! He’s been expecting us!”

The guard called for confirmation on it, Stephen glancing back to Pillow, who was now flying in the air, getting very close.

“Let us in!” Ann yelled, shaking a fist at them. “Let us INNN!” 

“We need to confirm-” The guard shrieked and fell back at a knife getting chucked all the way to the top of the wall, embedding itself into the stone. 

“Stephen! Dan’s gonna go on about manners.” Ann said.

“They’re the ones who need manners, we’re locked out!” Stephen responded. “Actually, wait-” He held a hand to his chin, seeming to get a new idea. Ann immediately got the same idea, leaping off her horse.

Grabbing two daggers from her satchel, she ran to the wall, grinning. “Race you to the top!” 

“Oh, no you don’t!” Stephen jumped off his horse, two knives appearing in his hands as he ran up to the front gates, stabbing the blades into the rock and going after Ann.

One of the guards took one glance down to Stephen and Ann scaling up the wall, then glanced to the dragon approaching, with a horse that was trailing a path of ice behind it, and wasn’t sure if they should yell or faint.

\---

Jo sat in his office, peaceful and quiet. There was some warm sun coming through the window, falling onto his back as he looked over some papers. His advisor had said he had a meeting in about an hour, so that should give him enough time to finish this up. 

Frowning down at a certain messily scrawled paper, his thoughts were broken by a strange shattering sound echoing outside. Not quite like glass, but...strange.

He noted the sun had...stopped?

Jo got up from his desk, turning to the window and nearly tripping over his own feet, his crown tipping a bit as he watched with wide eyes at what was a huge spike of ice, by the front of what looked to be his front gates. 

The door of his office burst open, two guards running in, looking panicked. “Uh, your highness?! There’s-”

“A  _ DRAGON- _ ”

“We have two of our own men stuck in ice right now-”

“THERE WAS A  _ DRAGON- _ ”

Jo held up a hand, the two of them shutting up as he ran past him at full speed, frantically trying to get to the front gates.

\---

“Gavin, this is excessive!” Stephen yelled, chipping at the ice again with his knife. Jay laughed at where he was melting some with his hands. Ann kicked the ice again, as if that would help.

Ann had gotten to the top of the wall first, Stephen sulking and climbing back down easily, the two of them not bothering to give attention to the baffled guards who scaled their wall like nothing. 

Some of them were wary, weapons raised as Elias and Gavin came by, hopping off their horse, Pillow coming up behind them.

Ann had yelled, “HEADS UP!” before going off on a guard who shot an arrow down at the group with a crossbow, the guard looking so sorry that they were almost crying.

The arrow had nearly hit Elias, but was stopped by ice Gavin had made on instinct, yelling. 

A lot. Of ice. 

The two of them had gotten stuck in the ice, actually, stuck in a little bubble as ice rose up to the sky, encasing them both.

Which brings to now.

“I PANICKED, bro!” Gavin yelled, hitting at the ice as Stephen kept chipping a way for them out. 

“Yes, you did panic.” Elias noted, looking around to the ice over their heads. “Just a little.”

“Hey, I saved you from an arrow, be nice to me.” Gavin frowned, narrowing his eyes at Elias.

“ _ What _ ? Can’t you see I am  _ extremely _ grateful?” Elias said sarcastically.

“I  _ will _ freeze your foot to the ground.” Gavin threatened.

Dan walked up by Jay, Pillow standing by him. The dragon looked curiously at the ice, licking it. Jay laughed, holding a hand to his mouth.

“Are you guys alright in there?” Dan asked, Pillow scratching a paw at the ice, Hosuh holding a hand to his heart at seeing Pillow scrape at the ice bit by bit, before licking it again. (Makeshift dragon snow cone….without the flavoring. Just some good ol ice. :P)

“We’re fine!” Elias answered Dan, Dan sighing a little in relief. “It’s not like I got-  _ NOPE _ !” Elias cut himself off, Dan making a confused face.

“What?!” Gavin asked, sounding slightly hurt.

“Your hands are freezing!” 

“Really?” 

“Yes,  _ really- _ no, get your hands AWAY-” Gavin started laughing as Elias yelled.

Dan walked away from the ice, ignoring his brother threatening Gavin. He’ll be fine.

The group had finally caught up, Frank looking up at the ice with an indescribable face. “What the fuck.”

Hosuh laughed awkwardly, rubbing at the back of his neck. “I feel like we should have expected something like this.”

“How were we supposed to expect a giant ICE SPIKE!” Ann threw her hands up to the ice.

“I mean, Gavin did the same thing a week back.” Hosuh pointed out, Ann nodding.

“Oh, yeah.”   
  


The front gates creaked with some orders being yelled by the guards as they slowly opened, some people pouring out to help the group travel in. 

Jo was with said people, running up to them. “Okay.” He clapped his hands together, Dan looking to him with a blank face. “What is this?!”

“Ice?” Hosuh said, blinking. 

Ann held back a laugh, holding a finger up and explaining in one fell swoop. “We got Stephen’s brother back, he’s super powerful with ice powers, he panicked when one of your guards shot an arrow at us, thus resulting in thisss!” Ann held her arms up, smiling brightly at the spike of ice. 

Jo stared up at the top of the ice, where it reached out the sky, taller than Jo would think was reasonable. He turned to Dan again, sighing and facepalming. 

“Where’s our warm welcome?!” Stephen joked, stabbing at the ice again. 

“It’s a cold welcome?” Jay gave as an attempt at a joke. Hosuh laughed.

\---

The day passed soon enough, Elias and Gavin getting out from the ice, and Jay flying with Pillow to try and melt some of it with fire.

They melted a good amount of it. 

And also set part of the gates on fire, but the point is the ice was mostly broken down.

Their group they had traveled with for so long got settled into the kingdom, some of the bandits going to find a job out in the kingdom, others signing up to start royal training. The soldiers went back to their homes, getting a week's rest before going back to work as usual, having a new interesting story to add to their collection.

Jo, although he felt it was a terrible idea, offered rooms in the castle for Dan and the others. Everyone got their separate bedroom, Ann running around and trying to swipe everything, her response to Dan protesting being “It’s like a huge castle. Jo won’t miss a few candles!”

Pillow, seeing as he was a bit too big for the rooms, instead went into the hallway. He was a bit squished, and knocked over a few things on the way in, but he kept following Jay into the castle even if Jay insisted Pillow stay outside with the guards who seemed happy to watch over a dragon for a night. 

Jo didn’t seem to be bothered by a dragon in his hallways. That or he was just getting used to the group.

“This one is the last room.” Jo said as he showed them around, opening the door. “It’s a little bigger than the others, but still the same overall.” He turned to all of them, glancing at Ann who was eyeing some glittering glass hanging from the lights on the ceiling. “You guys could choose which room to go in.” 

“I call dibs on this one!” Stephen yelled, running in. 

“What?! No fair!” Ann yelled, running after him. 

The others scattered to their own rooms for the night as Ann and Stephen wrestled over having that one room. Eventually Ann gave in and went next door, spitefully slamming the door closed. 

Dan was pulling off his armor when Jo said his goodbyes, walking out of Hosuh’s room and going down the hall, stepping around Pillow, who had laid down by Jay’s door.

Quickly throwing his sword to the side, Dan ran out of his room, stepping quietly as to not let the others hear him.

“Jo!” He whispered, Jo stopping in his tracks and turning around. “No, keep walking, go ahead.” He said, walking beside Jo as they turned the corner of the hallway, pausing.

“Is something wrong?” Jo asked, smiling awkwardly.

“No, no, everything is fine, and also, thanks, really, for the rooms and stuff.” Dan said, waving a hand. “I appreciate it.”

“Yeah, well, I hope this hallway doesn’t end up in flames by the end of the week, but knowing you guys…” Jo trailed off, laughing a little.

Dan huffed, shaking his head. “Hey, I had a question. Since you’re the prince, you might know something…”

“What?” Jo asked.

Dan hesitated, glancing down the hall for a moment. “Do you know anything about the Everdawn Games?” He whispered.

Jo stared at him, humming and thinking. “Everdawn games?”

“Yeah. Do you know what they are? Or, have you heard of them?” Dan nodded, waiting for Jo to say something.

“Uhh.” Jo tapped his foot against the ground, eyebrows scrunched up. “Oh! Now I remember. It’s a competition, of a sorts.”

“A competition?” 

“Well, it’s just basically people fighting in a huge arena, organized into rounds until someone wins. There’s usually a cash prize.” Jo shrugged, smiling. “Actually, we should attend! It’s a big thing, and a lot of the kingdom goes to see it. I usually don’t because I’m prioritizing work, but it would be fun for us all to go watch.”

Dan blinked, face surprised. 

“Dan?”

“Oh, sorry, no, that does sound fun! We should go see, it seems interesting.” He grinned, nodding. “That’s all I wanted to ask, I’ll let you go now.” Dan said, taking a step back.

“Sure.” Jo shrugged, Dan turning around and walking away. “Hey Dan?”

Dan stopped, turning around. “Hm?”

“Where did you hear about the Everdawn games?” Jo asked.

Dan took a moment, waving a hand. “Oh, I just saw a flyer about it. I was curious.”

“Hm. Well, goodnight! Please don’t start a fire in my castle.” Jo said wearily.

Dan laughed. “No promises, but I’ll try.”

They parted ways, Dan going back to his room, quietly shutting the door behind him so as to not wake up the sleeping dragon down the hall.

He sighed, leaning against the door. So now he knew what the Everdawn Games were. As for what would happen there, Dan wasn’t exactly sure, but he had to stay on guard, he was sure of that.

Walking into his room, he took his armor and put it to the side, holding his sword in hand and debating whether he should put it with the armor or not. 

After a moment, he placed it next to the bed, leaning on the frame. 

Laying in bed and placing his head on the pillow, Dan let the candles lighting up the room stay burning, enjoying the small light it provided and also just not feeling like getting up to blow them out.

He stayed staring at the ceiling, thinking.

Something big was going to happen. This week, most likely, Dan had a hunch on that. If he stays on guard and stays close to everyone, then it should go fine.

Maybe.

A quiet knock sounded at the door, bringing Dan out of his thoughts.

Getting up from the bed, he opened the door to find Hosuh, looking like he climbed out of bed, his ponytail messed up. 

“Hey…” Hosuh waved.

“Hey. Is something wrong? Are you okay?” Dan quickly asked, Hosuh waving a hand. 

“Oh, no, I’m fine. It’s just weird sleeping in an empty room by myself.” He explained, shrugging. “Can I sleep with you?” 

“Yeah, sure.” Dan nodded, letting Hosuh in. Hosuh walked in, quickly climbing under the covers as Dan closed the door behind him, yawning.

He barely laid down for a minute before there was another small knock at the door. Hosuh looked at him expectantly. 

Sighing a little, Dan got up, opening it to find Jay, who was fiddling with his sleeves. Dan glanced to the side and found Pillow had moved doors, laying down next to his door and looking up at Jay and Dan, as if making sure Jay got to where he wanted before he slept.

“Hi.” 

“Hi.”

“Can I sleep with you?” Jay asked, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. “It’s just weird being alone after sleeping next to you guys for the whole time we were traveling...”

“No, it’s fine. Hosuh is in here too.” Dan stepped to the side, Jay grinning as he saw Hosuh poke his head out from the blankets.

“Hello, HoHo.” Jay said, crawling into bed by him. 

“Hiii.” Hosuh whispered, before dropping his head back onto the pillow. 

Dan looked down at Pillow in the hallway, finding the dragon to have closed his eyes and gone to sleep, seeming satisfied with Jay being safe.

Nodding to himself and closing the door, Dan walked back to the bed, laying down. 

There was another knock on the door.

Dan opened it again to find Elias, giving a little wave. 

“Let me guess, you want to sleep in here too?”

“Too?” Elias echoed, Dan stepping back to let Elias walk in and see Jay and Hosuh. He laughed a little, going to rest on the bed as well.

Dan closed the door once more, staring at it for a minute. He walked over to the bed, but this time he didn’t even get to lay down, another knock sounding out.

“Again, oh my-” He opened the door, Ann immediately cutting him off.

“Pillow is sleeping here, so Jay is here too, can I join in?” Ann smiled, Dan slouching. 

“Well, it’s not just Jay but sure, find space on the bed.” 

Ann snickered as she ran in, jumping on top of Jay and ignoring his wheezing protests. Elias just scooted away and stole the blanket. Hosuh was passed out.

Dan closed the door again, walking over to the bed and debating if there was going to even be enough room for him. Wasn’t this supposed to be _his_ bed?

Another knock.

Dan went back to the door, hearing Gavin and Stephen lightly bicker as he walked over.

“But whyyy-”

“Because I wanted to annoy Dan, that’s why.”

“Ugh, I’m tired.”

Dan opened the door. “Let me guess, you also want to come and steal my bed.”

Stephen grinned. “Yeah. What, is everyone having a sleepover?” 

Dan groaned, pinching the end of his nose. “It seems like everyone had the same idea.” He looked back at his bed, Ann and Jay sitting up at seeing Stephen and Gavin. Hosuh blearily looked at him, Elias was under a blanket.

“Ha.” Stephen made fun, hopping onto the bed with the others. Gavin went under the blanket with Elias and Hosuh as Ann and Stephen mumbled to themselves, Jay yawning.

Dan closed the door one last time, frowning as he walked over to the others. “I don’t think we’re all going to fit here.” 

“Let’s move to the floor, then.” Jay suggested.

“But the floor is uncomfortable.” Stephen countered.

“What if we…” Ann held her hands together, using her brain cell. “Took the mattress from here and another bed and moved them to the floor?”

“Oh, that would work!” Stephen said, hopping off of the bed, Jay following.

“What, no, don’t mess with the beds-” Dan protested.

“Jo gave us rooms to do what we like with, and so they’ll rearrange it if they want.” Elias said, sitting up and leaning his back against the wall.

Both Jay and Stephen, with some reluctant help from Dan, got another mattress moved into the room, Ann and Gavin having pushed the mattress from Dan’s bed to the floor. Elias and Hosuh gathered pillows and blankets from the rooms, putting them onto the makeshift bed on the ground.

It looked like a mess, but Dan was exhausted enough to not really care and laid down, hearing the others bicker over sleeping arrangements. 

“You,” Stephen threw two blankets at Gavin. “Get more blankets. And also sleep away from me.” 

“What?!” Gavin squawked, holding the blankets in his arms.

“You’re  _ cold _ .” Ann said, throwing herself under a blanket and cuddling next to Hosuh, who hummed and went back to sleep.

“But I’ll be  _ lonely _ .” Gavin pouted, Stephen blowing a raspberry in response.

“...I’ll sleep next to you.” Elias said, Gavin beaming. 

“Really?!” He tackled Elias, Elias screaming.

“You  _ ARE _ cold, oh my god-” Elias complained, getting cut off by Stephen throwing another blanket at them. Gavin settled into bed at the edge of the mattress, Elias having more blankets than the others.

Stephen laid down on the other side of Hosuh, Dan feeling a little bit of pity for the healer, seeing as both Ann and Stephen kicked in their sleep and he was trapped right in between them.

Oh well. 

Dan laid down, finally, not bothering to have a blanket since he was right by Jay, who was always warm anyway. 

With everyone finally settled down, and the dragon outside sleeping peacefully in the hallway, Dan smiled to himself and closed his eyes, going to sleep.

  
  


\---

  
  


Yanna yawned, wishing she didn’t have to get up this early just for signing up, but she wanted to be early to beat any lines. If she got the sign up done early, then she could go shopping early too. Maybe she could make a nice breakfast for mom.

Actually, thinking back on her last fiery attempts at cooking, maybe not.

The table for sign up was there by the entrance of the empty arena, ready for the competition in a few days. Yanna walked over, her sword at her back like it always was, a bag of coins at her hip.

“Hi.” She said, greeting a woman at the table, papers in front of her.

“Hello! What are you here for?” The woman pleasantly asked.

“I want to sign up. For the games?”

The woman faltered, blinking at Yanna. “Oh! Sorry, it’s just, you’re awfully young.”

“But it’s still allowed!” Yanna chimed, having said the same thing to Ivu when she asked earlier. 

“It is.” The woman said, making a face. She looked to the sword on Yanna’s back, humming. “Well then, if you’re sure, go ahead and tell me your name?” 

“Yanna. Yanna Draws.” Yanna said, the woman nodding and writing her name down. 

“How old are you?”

“15.” She responded easily. 

“Okayyy, well, in two days, come by right at sunrise, so we can prepare for the games to start, okay?” The woman asked, Yanna smiling and nodding. “Are you really sure you want-”

“I’m sure!” Yanna said, turning around and walking away, waving a hand. “Thanks!” 

Yanna walked off, aiming to go to a shop, maybe. She oughta get mom some apples. Legally, this time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was looking through my danplan/aop AUs the other day, and yall- I have FIFTEEN different AUs I made. FIFTEEN (and you BET im gonna write them all. It's gonna take real looong tho...)
> 
> But anyway! I'll try to keep up with updating! I'll try my best! I love this story, ngl.
> 
> Thanks for readin! Till next chap :P


	34. Running through a castle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I am here! It's two am, and I didn't really check for any mistakes, so forgive any typos, haha.
> 
> Enjoy the chap! I tried to make it long!

Dan hears voices, and somehow, right away, knows he’s not awake yet. 

“Ow! Watch it!” Stephen whines, Hosuh laughing a little in the background.

“It’s not my fault your hair is being unreasonable!” Ann yells back, and Dan can see her reaching her hands at Stephen’s hair, Stephen frowning and smacking her hands away. 

Dan is comforted at the safe sight, glad he’s not having an intense vision. Although he’s a little worried at the fact he’s having a vision at all. At least, that’s what he thinks it is. 

“Your hair-doing skills are unreasonable!” Stephen throws back as a weak insult, although Ann still squawks and holds a hand to her chest as if it offended her anyway. 

“Take that back!” She kicks a leg at Stephen, knocking him back a little. He hits a table behind him, the table jerking as Dan realizes the objects on it are sitting precariously on the edge of it. 

An empty glass jar tips over, falling off the table and onto Stephen’s head with a crash, the remains scattering onto the floor. 

Stephen swears, holding his head in pain. Dan immediately tries moving towards him as Hosuh yells in alarm at the small bit of blood at the side of his head. It’s probably not that bad, but Stephen still winces as Ann yells out a panicked apology, Stephen waving a hand, assuring he’s fine. 

Just before Dan is about to grab Stephen by the arm to see the damage, he’s jolted into consciousness, breathing sharply as he opens his eyes to find himself where he fell asleep last night, on their makeshift bed on the floor.

“Ow! Watch it!” 

“It’s not my fault your hair is being unreasonable!”

Jay’s laying next to him, half asleep but looking surprised at Dan waking up so suddenly.

“Good morning to you?” Jay says, a slight bit of worry in his tone. Dan rubs at his eyes and ignores him, sitting up quickly and looking to the side, where Ann and Stephen are sitting across each other, Ann apparently trying to braid Stephen’s hair. There’s a section of his hair put up in a ridiculous little ponytail. It comforts Dan for a bit at how hilarious it looks.

“Your hair-doing skills are unreasonable!” Stephen yells, and Dan feels immense deja vu, brushing it off and quickly moving from his spot, ignoring Jay asking him again as Ann does the same as before, squawking, yelling “take that back!” and kicking Stephen playfully. 

This time, Dan is right there, pushing Stephen in the arm and out of the way. Stephen screams, surprised at Dan suddenly appearing, especially since he was supposed to be asleep just a second ago, not coming out of the blue and shoving at Stephen.

The jar falls just like before, narrowly missing Dan’s arm as he dodges back, but it breaks on the floor without hitting anyone, the pieces scattering.

Everyone pauses for a moment, staying still and staring at the broken glass. 

Ann breaks the silence with “Does Dan just sense whenever you cause trouble in his sleep or something?” 

Gavin poorly hides a small laugh, Stephen glaring daggers at Ann and tugging a small ribbon off his hair.

“That’s it!” He declares as he throws the ribbon to the side. “You’re banned from braiding my hair.” Stephen says, tilting his chin up and away, crossing his arms.

“WAIT NO-” Ann scrambles to clean up the glass as Stephen struggles with not breaking out into laughter, getting to his feet and ignoring Ann’s frantic apologies.

Dan rolls his eyes at their shenanigans and lays back down onto the makeshift bed, sighing as exhaustion seeps into him again. He got up so suddenly he barely took a moment to even fully wake up or look around.

He raises his head with that thought, counting everyone in the room and slightly hoping nothing went into chaos while he was sleeping.

Hosuh is sitting by the window with Elias, the two of them seeming to be eating chocolates. Dan doesn’t know where they got those from, although he suspects Ann to be the cause.

Gavin is sitting with them too, but on the floor, as it seems like if he sat with them, it would be a bit squished. He leans against the wall, chatting with Elias and Hosuh.

Someone kicks him at his back and Dan faceplants into the blankets, groaning. “What?” He says, although it’s a little muffled.

“Good morning.” Jay deadpans, scooting over to the front of where Dan is. “How’d you sleep?” He asks, and Dan glances up to find his face looking a little worried.

“I slept fine.” Dan responds, pushing himself up with a yawn. “At least until those two started breaking things-” He gestures at Ann, who’s picking up the last of the glass, and Stephen, who’s sitting on the rug, watching Ann with a bored expression. His face lights up at Dan’s mention of them.

“Ann did it!” Stephen yells, pointing a finger, Ann squawking. 

“I did _ not- _”

“If you take blame I’ll let you try doing my hair again.” Stephen cuts her off quickly.

“I did it! All me.” Ann quickly changes her tone, Stephen smiling smugly. Dan rolls his eyes fondly.

There’s a knock on the door, everyone turning their attention to it.

It opens, showing Jo, who looks a bit panicked and also slightly confused. “Hello?” He says, Dan noticing a guard run past the door screaming. Pillow is at their heels, running happily after them, “Wha- I gave you guys individual rooms!” 

“Well, we wanted a sleepover.” Ann says, sitting herself down by Stephen and bringing out another ribbon. Stephen crosses his arms and lowers his head a bit, Ann fiddling with his hair.

“They all came to my room, it’s not like I was going to kick them out.” Dan waves a hand, getting to his feet.

“Morning Jo!” Hosuh chimes pleasantly, Jo giving a half hearted wave back. 

“Okay, first off, Jay.” Jo holds his hands together, Jay yawning and running his hands through his hair. “Please, calm down your dragon. It’s running through the halls and-” a guard runs past the door again, screaming. Pillow keeps chasing. “My guards are getting... overwhelmed, to say the least.”

“He does this like every morning.” Gavin says, chewing at the last of his chocolate. “He’s hyper.”

“Well, I wouldn’t know. He’s a dragon.” Jo deadpans, Jay shrugging. 

“Just give it like 20 more minutes.” Jay waves a hand, laying back down.

Elias nudges Gavin in the arm, Gavin frowning. “Sure, I can help, but I’m not really in the _ mood- _”

This time two guards come running past the door, yelling. Pillow still chases.

“At least for the poor guards.” Elias counters, Hosuh nodding in agreement, giving a face of pity. 

“Ok, fine. But you’re coming with me.” Gavin says, dragging Elias with him, past Jo and into the hallway. “Pillow! Hey, that isn’t a toy, leave the royal guard alone-!”

Jo takes a deep breath in, letting it out. “Okay. I have a meeting in half an hour or so. I would prefer you guys stay in this hallway of the castle for today, I have some duties to get to.”

“Sounds good.” Stephen says. Ann hums in agreement, Hosuh nods and Jay gives a thumbs up. Jo looks to Dan. 

“Hm.” Dan looks at the rest of his friends, glancing out the door to see Pillow running past, holding Gavin in his mouth as Elias frantically chases after him, the guards behind him trying to help. “Yup. Like Stephen said, sounds good.”

Jo doesn’t look entirely convinced but he doesn’t have the time to make sure, he's on a schedule.

“Okay. I’ll have some guards here to help with anything. Just-” Jo raises his hands, taking a step backwards. “Stay.”

“You got nothing to worry about!” Stephen chimes, Ann nodding very seriously. “We’re just going to chill here.” 

“Very well.” Jo says, shrugging. He steps out of the room, stumbling back and narrowly missing getting hit by a runaway dragon who’s still holding Gavin, who’s yelling as he gets carried away, screaming “I am not a toy! Pillow, you do this every time-!” 

Jo readjusts his crown and just starts walking. 

  
  


\---

  
  


They all, as expected, do not stay in the room. 

Ann finishes up with Stephen’s hair, his purple locks tied up neatly with a pink ribbon. It looks ridiculous, in Dan’s opinion, but Dan just smiles and says he looks great. Hosuh is able to drag Jay from out of bed, all of them eating breakfast that a servant came by with. 

Pillow eventually does tire himself out, laying down in the hall and taking a quick nap while everyone eats breakfast. Jay gives Pillow his bacon when Dan isn’t looking.

But after they’re done with the food, Dan can’t exactly fend off boredom, which ends up with Hosuh hanging out the window, both Ann and Stephen holding him by the arms as they ask if he can see anything cool. 

“Well,” Hosuh starts, trusting the two of them to not drop him. “There’s a garden over there. I see a fountain.”

“Oh, I want to go see a fountain.” Gavin says, Elias nodding in agreement. 

“I’m pretty sure the guards will try and keep us from wandering anywhere.” Dan says, Jay scoffing. 

Stephen and Ann pull Hosuh back in as Jay waltzs into the hallway, climbing onto Pillow. 

“Last one to the fountain is a loser!” Stephen says, running out of the room and climbing onto Pillow with Jay. Jay whistles and Pillow starts sprinting, Ann and Gavin yelling protests. 

Gavin and Ann start sprinting, Elias and Hosuh jogging along but not at the top speed the others are going. Dan considers telling them to calm down for a moment, but decides against it, going back into the room and looking out the window. 

With one more glance at the hallway, he snickers to himself, jumping off the ledge. He’s just going to climb his way outside.

Meanwhile, the guards placed at the end of the hall try their best to keep the group from advancing. But it’s not like they can do much. Pillow just leaps over them, and really, how are they going to stop a dragon? 

Gavin speeds past them, and Ann literally kicks herself off a gaurd, jumping off the wall and kicking herself into the air, laughing. 

Hosuh and Elias say sorry as they run past, but they also don’t stop, trying to catch up.

They all go down the hallways in chaos, eventually splitting up for a bit as they try to make their way to said water fountain. 

Jay and Stephen somehow make their way to the kitchen. Stephen gets a complimentary sandwich, since they are guests of the prince. He chews on it while Jay thanks the servants and rides off on his dragon through the halls. Jay gets a bite halfway through their running.

Ann and Gavin get a bit lost in the hallways, at one point having a few guards trying to chase after them to get them to stop. Gavin loses Ann for a minute, but finds her again, except she had a whole tea set in her arms, her eyes gleaming with mischief. 

“Where did you even get that?!” Gavin yells, as a royal guard commands them to stop running, please, like, we had orders, man-

“Not important! Run!” Ann grins, sprinting along.

Hosuh and Elias actually stop running at one point, walking along and just asking for the quickest way to the garden. They get a helpful servant to lead them there, and have a pleasant conversation the whole time. 

When they all finally get outside, Pillow bursting through the doors of the castle, Ann and Gavin having being able to get the guards off their trail, and Elias and Hosuh walking up calmly, Dan’s already at the fountain, reading a book. 

“What?!” Stephen yells in frustration, jumping off Pillow and running at Dan. “How did you even-”

“I went out the window.” Dan shrugs, and notices that Stephen is still running at him and wait that’s too close-

Dan screams as he gets pushed into the fountain, Stephen jumping in with him. 

Ann climbs in too, putting a whole tea set to the side. “Look at what I got!” She exclaims, then literally starts pouring out a cup of tea. 

Dan sits up in the water, huffing. He still takes a cup of tea though. Hosuh doesn’t plan on getting into the fountain with them, but Jay grabs Hosuh by the torso and literally throws him in, so he doesn’t really get a choice in that matter. Gavin stays sitting far away, next to Pillow, Elias standing by him.

Gavin trusts that he’s safe, Stephen having been distracted with a cup of so-so tea, but Elias betrays him and starts dragging him to the fountain, Gavin yelling and kicking the whole way. 

He still gets thrown in, but he climbs out right after, pushing Elias in as revenge.

Dan watches his brother yell as he gets pushed into the water, Dan sipping at his tea while Ann ponders on if she should have nabbed more while she was running. 

“You grabbed a whole tea set.” Hosuh says, sitting criss cross in the water, a cup of tea in hand. 

“Yeah, but I feel like I could have gotten more.” Ann dispairs, shaking her head and pouring more tea for Stephen. 

Stephen turns to Jay, who’s sitting by the edge of the fountain. “Hey, you’re the last one to get into the fountain.” He says, grinning as he takes a drink from his cup. “Loser.”

Jay smiles, clicking his tongue and leaning down, dipping his hands into the water by Stephen. 

Stephen watches with a face of confusion. “You’re making it warm. Wait, no, it’s hot, wait, boiling!” Stephen screams, scrambling to get out of the steaming water. 

“Jay!” Dan scolds, Jay laughing as Stephen throws his teacup at Jay.

\---

Jo ends up coming out of his meeting to be told that Pillow is running around in the garden with Gavin and Jay, Ann and Elias are apparently having tea in the fountain, (not by the fountain, they tell him, _ in it _), and Hosuh, Dan and Stephen have apparently wandered off into the castles library. The guards decided that at least the firestarter wasn’t with them, so they’re just waiting at the door of the library while the three of them explore.

Jo tells his advisor to make sure their guests get fed lunch and then goes to do some paperwork.

\---

The library is impressive, when they walk in.

Stephen immediately runs down the aisles of books, Hosuh watching in wonder at all the rows and rows of books. 

“There’s so much!” Hosuh says, running after Stephen. “Hey, Stephen, wait up!” Stephen laughs, Hosuh laughing with him as they run.

Dan smiles fondly at the two of them, but he came over here for a reason. He walks through the shelves, looking at the labels as he passes by. He listens to the sound of Hosuh and Stephen running around as he searches.

20 minutes later, he’s sitting at a table, a pile of books at his side as he flips through a book on magic, eyebrows scrunched up in thought.

Stephen suddenly pops up behind him, snatching the book from his hands. 

Dan yells in surprise, trying to grab the book back. “Wha- Stephen!” 

“Magic?” Stephen questions, skimming through the book. “Why would you read about this now? You usually never really get into this sorta stuff.” He looks to Dan, sitting on top of the table and swinging his legs.

Dan shrugs, keeping a small smile on his face as he tries to nab the book back. “I’m curious.”

Stephen holds the book up, out of Dan’s reach. “Why are you curious about this now?”

“Why do you keep asking me questions, gimme my book.”

“Why do you keep dodging my questions?” Stephen says, Dan rolling his eyes. 

“Where’s Hosuh?” Dan asks, looking around. 

“He went to go read about some healing books, or something.” Stephen waves a hand, flipping through the book. “You know I can tell you personally about magic rather than you getting it from a book.”

“I was curious.” Dan says again, finally grabbing the book back from Stephen’s hands. “I just grabbed it off the shelf.”

Stephen eyes the pile of magic themed books at Dan’s side, looking at Dan. Dan doesn’t notice, trying to find his place in the pages. 

“Dan?” Stephen asks, Daniel looking up. “Is...is there-”

He’s cut off by the sound of the doors of the library slamming open. “HEY GUYS! WE’RE EATING LUNCH!” They both hear Ann yell. “THERE’S SANDWICHES!” 

“Ooh, lunch!” Stephen says, running off to go find Hosuh. Dan follows behind him, closing the book and putting it on the table. 

\---

After some shopping and walking around, Yanna has a whole bag of food; bread, fruit, just generally things they don’t usually get, but would also last a good while.

Yanna heaves the bag with her up the roof, going her usual route. She drops the bag of food down first, hopping down after and landing in her home. 

She leans down, picking the bag up from the ground again. “Mom! I’m home!” She calls out, sighing as she has to carry the bag to the kitchen. 

Ivu isn’t in there, although there’s the soup from yesterday, burning over the fire. Yanna takes a peek at it, making a face. That’s very overcooked. Mom wouldn’t leave the soup burning like this.

Yanna looks around, a bit worried now. “Mom?”

She takes a moment to move the pot off the fire, dropping the bag on the floor quickly as she wonders where Ivu went. Maybe she just forgot the soup was cooking?

“Mom?” Yanna calls out, still not getting a response. She gets wary, putting a hand on her sword as she walks through the small house, to the front door. “Mom?!”

The front door is left wide open, Yanna stopping in her tracks and staring at it with wide eyes. She runs to it, looking out at the staircase that leads down outside. 

There, at the bottom of the stairs, Ivu’s laying on the ground.

“Mom!” Yanna screams, dropping her sword to the floor and going down the steps as fast as she can, jumping over Ivu and kneeling to the ground in front of her. “Oh my god, wake up, are you-”

Ivu opens her eyes, Yanna cutting herself off. “Yanna?” She says, squinting at Yanna.

“Are you okay?! What happened?!” Yanna asks, grabbing Ivu by the arm and helping her sit up. 

“Fell down.” Ivu laughs, wincing and looking up the stairs. “My leg acted up and I fell the rest of the way.”

Yanna looks at her leg, frowning at how it looks much worse than before. “Can you walk?” She asks, turning to Ivu.

“I-” Ivu closes her eyes, breathing in sharply. “Help me up?”

Yanna nods, putting Ivu’s arm over her shoulder and heaving her up, helping support her weight. Ivu struggles to stand on her feet, gritting her teeth. 

“Actually, don’t walk.” Yanna says, pushing Ivu up a little bit more. “Okay, we’re going to go slow, I’ll get you up the stairs and we can get you in bed.” 

“It’s fine, it’s fine, just give me a second-” Ivu protests, not being able to bring herself to put weight on her leg. 

“Come on.” Yanna says, helping her along. 

Slowly, very slowly, they get up the stairs, Yanna almost carrying Ivu by the end of it, helping her into the house. 

“Here, let me just-” Yanna carefully lowers her, Ivu sitting on the ground as Yanna tries to think on what to do. “Okay, okay, uhm.”

“Yanna, it’s okay, just give me a second.” Ivu says softly, raising a hand.

“No, you try walking, it’s just going to be worse.” Yanna shoots back, shaking her head. “Okay. The everdawn games are in about a day or so.” Yanna says, helping Ivu up again and moving her to the bedroom. “I’ll make some dinner for right now. After the games, I’ll come back with a healer, okay?”

Ivu laughs, shaking her head as he carefully sits down on the creaky old bed. “Don’t worry.” 

“I’m not worrying! It’s going to be fine, I’ll win, definitely, and when I get back-” Yanna stops, Ivu tugging at her hands and grabbing Yanna by the face, gently shaking her.

“Yanna, you’re stressing yourself out. It's okay.” She reassures her, smiling. “My leg is a bit worse now, true, but don’t worry. It’ll work out.”

Yanna breathes in deeply, blinking rapidly to keep any stray tears at bay. She sits down next to Ivu, hugging her. 

“You have some coins leftover from the jewels, right?” Ivu asks, Yanna nodding. “Okay, go buy some bandages, or anything that could help. I can still move around.” 

“But your leg-” Yanna protests.

“I’ll just use a cane.” Ivu shrugs, smiling again. “Besides, no way I’m trusting you in the kitchen.” She taps a finger on Yanna’s nose, snickering.

Yanna looks at her, and really, really looks at her. Ivu’s been tired these days, Yanna can tell, the leg wearing her down, with everything. She always gives the same reassuring smile to Yanna though. It never changes. 

“Okay!” Yanna claps her hands together. This is fine. She’s going to go get medicine, bandages, a cane of some sorts. She’ll win the Everdawn Games. She’s got this. “Okay, I’ll get going now, then. I’ll be as quick as I can!” Yanna says, getting up and going to grab her sword that she dropped earlier, as Ivu lays down more onto the bed.

Yanna ties the sword at her back, going over to Ivu to give her a hug. “I’ll be right back!”

“Be careful running.” Ivu says, hugging her back. “I wouldn’t want you to get scabs on your knees before the games.”

‘I’ll be okay!” Yanna yells, running for the door. “Bye!” 

“Bye! Love you!”

“Love you too!” Yanna calls out, closing the door behind her. Then after a minute of speed walking, she breaks out into a sprint, going as fast as possible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My best friend, talking about the story: You know what I notice?! Stephen's lizard. It's a miracle that thing is alive, really.
> 
> Me: ....Stephen is a necromancer.
> 
> lol, till next chap! Also mari I know you're reading this, love you lmao


	35. Late night questions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> shout out to kassia gamer who gave me juuuuuust enough motivation to finally finish this chap. Granted, it's like three am rn, which isn't the best but I finally got something done, hurrah
> 
> enjoy

  
  


The rest of the day in the castle goes by without many problems. Jo gets called into another meeting while the group eats sandwiches by the fountain. He takes one judgemental look at them through a window and determines that they probably won’t get into any trouble.

Hopefully.

Fast forward about 20 minutes, he’s talking with his advisors while waving around important papers, when a knock sounds out through the room. 

Jo looks to the door expectantly for a guard or something to come in, but it isn’t coming from there, it seems, as another knock sounds out again.

“Uh...your highness?” One of his advisors hesitantly says, raising a finger at the window and looking slightly concerned as they stare behind him. Jo is tempted to not turn around and continue like nothing is wrong, but curiously outwins him and he turns to the window behind him.

He turns to find Ann and Stephen, who have somehow found a way to the ledges up by the windows. Ann’s face lights up at Jo seeing her, and she gives a little hello wave, as if she’s not teetering on a ledge that is at least 30 feet off the ground. 

Stephen is off to the side, hanging off from the roof by an arm, not paying attention to Jo and is instead looking around for something. He seems to find it, because he yells at Ann to follow him, then climbs around a corner, disappearing from Jo’s sight. Ann gives another small wave through the window, then goes, climbing with him. 

Jo finds Dan not far behind, seeming to be jumping rather than climbing, running across the roof and leaping with no obvious regard for his safety, grabbing onto the ledge with his hands and pulling himself up, yelling to Ann and Stephen about how they “do not climb on the castle” and “I do not care if it is hypocritical, if you two fall I swear-”

With the swift closing of the curtains, Jo smiles and turns away from whatever that was, looking to his advisors. 

“Let’s continue?” He says, the people in front of him scrambling to nod and move on.

  
  


\--

Yanna is able to hassle for some medicine and bandages, along with a simple yet pretty cane that oughta work for Ivu until they can get a proper healer.

She practically throws the coins at the seller, swiping the items and shoving them into a bag, turning her back as she makes her way through the shops, rushing.

She’s carrying the bag in her hands and speed walking down the road, a bit tired. She’s been on and off sprinting for the past hour lately and while the general feeling of “gotta go fast, mom needs me, frick,  _ SPEED- _ ” has already passed, Yanna isn’t taking her time. Although, as she’s stalking through the stalls, a bright blue catches her attention in the corner of her eye.

She pauses, turning her head.

It’s a flower, she finds, and she walks over to it without a second thought, seeing that it’s a bit wilted, and thrown carelessly on the table, surrounded by plenty of prettier, neater bouquets of flowers. It must’ve fallen out or something.

The idea of buying some flowers for Ivu crosses her mind for a split second, but she moves on, shaking her head and deciding that they wouldn’t need it, even if it would make Ivu smile for a bit.

Although, with the thought of bringing home a small gift, Yanna still swipes the stray flower and shoves it into her bag, breaking out into a sprint again and running away from the stall, dodging the people in her way as she focuses on just getting to her destination.

Then there’s a guard, coming in her way from the crowd and yelling at her to slow down. Which, okay, Yanna understands that, it probably looks like she stole something important, with the way she just suddenly started speeding off from the stall like that.

It’s a wilted flower. Even then, if Yanna is going to actually try and steal something, it’s going to be a lot more valuable than a flower.

Okay, that wouldn’t help her case if she got arrested.

But also she does  _ not _ have time for this, so when the guard gets in her way, she falls to the floor, slinging across the ground and kicking out the guard’s legs from under him. Rolling to her feet again, she keeps running, laughing a little under her breath.

She doesn’t look back, instead running down the street and taking a sharp turn, grinning as she hears a small commotion over a guard getting tripped by a random kid.

People give her looks as she keeps running down the street, zooming along the path and coming to a set of stairs, to which she simply jumps down, rolling to break her fall and getting to her feet again. 

There’s a woman who’s pressed against the wall, a hand to her chest as it seems she was dodging Yanna throwing herself down the stairs but Yanna doesn’t pay attention to it, yelling out a “sorry!” and continuing on her path.

Five minutes later, Yanna’s out of breath, and resorts to casually walking, humming a little under her breath as she goes down a path, into the more rundown area of the kingdom, where there are less people out on the roads.

When she gets to the usual alley she takes to climb into her home, she turns the corner to find a few people already there, huddled together, hoods over their heads. 

It’s awfully suspicious, and they’re obviously up to no good. Yanna frowns, quickly hiding herself behind a corner in the shadows, squinting at them and trying to hear what they’re saying. 

She’s never seen people like this around here, at least not with weird cloaks and bad vibes. Sure, she’s almost been mugged by a few people here before but she’s never ran into creepy dudes who resemble a cult, with the way they’re matching outfits.

Yanna huddles more into the dark, straining her ears and getting bits and pieces of the conversation.

“...but if he doesn’t come-”

“-he will, he will-”

“-why wouldn’t he-”

“-there’s too many of us, we’ll overpower his guards-”

“Then we win!” 

Yanna blinks, realizes this sounds a lot like someone’s going to get stabbed in the near future. She takes a careful step back, eyes wide as she hears mentions of the prince.

Oh, assassination. Wonderful. Yanna wants nothing to do with this.

But it seems like luck isn’t on her side, because when she turns to go, she nearly runs into another cloaked person, staring down at her.

She chokes back a scream, mostly of surprise at the mask he’s wearing, something almost resembling a demon face of a sorts, bright red and smiling.

“Where are you going, little one?” He says, and Yanna glances back to find she’s cornered, the others taking notice of her spying.

Yanna is almost about to panic, when she looks at the bag still slung around her arm, medicine and a flower inside.

Right, mom is still waiting on her.

Yanna sighs dramatically, taking a step back and putting the bag to the side, reaching for the sword on her back. The weird cult people look almost confused. Yanna is just feeling annoyed.

“Alright. Try me, bitch!” Yanna yells, swinging her sword.

\---

When night comes at the castle, Jo insists a few more times that there  _ are _ multiple rooms, and they all don’t have to pile onto two mattresses that have been thrown onto the floor with every person stealing each other’s pillow every two seconds.

Naturally, they all barely listen. Dan responds with an assurance that they’ll be fine, except more pillows would be nice, because while Ann and Jay tend to hog a few pillows, Stephen has no hesitation nor regrets when hogging half the pillows for everyone. 

So, night falls, and it’s for once calm in what was supposed to be Dan’s room, but is now just their room. 

Well, it’s as calm as it can be. Jay is sitting out in the hallway, criss cross on the floor, playing fetch with Pillow. 

They didn’t have anything resembling a ball on hand, (not that there would probably be a ball big enough for Pillow) so Jay just took a candle holder and started chucking it down the hall, Pillow gleefully going to retrieve it. 

Everytime the dragon brought it back, it came back a little more bent and broken, but Jay would just throw it down the hall again, and Pillow repeated it once more. Jay was sure Jo could stand to spare a candle holder.

Ann, Hosuh, and Gavin were sitting in the door way, all of them watching as Jay played with Pillow, and also painting on nail polish Ann had gotten from her satchel. 

As Ann put it, 

“I never have time to paint my nails! It’s always, ‘oh, Ann, you’re under arrest’ or ‘we’re running from mortal danger’. It’s been so  _ long _ since I’ve sat down and had a calm night.” Ann says, blowing at her fingernails, which are painted a shiny gold, shimmering in the candle light.

“I mean, nothing is stopping you from multi-tasking…” Hosuh mumbles, mostly focused on trying to get his nails right. He’s trying to paint them a nice pale pink. It’s getting all over his fingers, but he’s trying his best, and that’s what really matters here.

“Yeah, just run from the law while painting your nails! I’m sure you’re capable of that.” Gavin smiles, waving the little nail polish brush. He’s long since given up on making his nails look neat. He just put a messy coat of blue nail polish on his hands and called it a day, mostly giving his attention to Pillow, who runs down the hall again, Jay laughing.

“I could…” Ann trails off, raising her hand up, sticking her tongue out as she squints at it. “But I like them looking neat.” She shrugs, smiling. She turns her attention to their attempts. “You guys, though…”

“I’m trying, shush.” Hosuh whispers, holding back a laugh. He knows they look terrible. But then again, the last time they got their hands on nail polish that wasn’t Ann’s was like half a year ago when Stephen had found (stole) some at a passing town.

Stephen laughs from inside the room, Hosuh giving him a look. Stephen is leaning against Dan’s back as Dan reads a book, Elias across him, who’s doodling on a piece of paper.

“What, you can do better?” Gavin sasses at him, raising an eyebrow. 

Stephen rolls his eyes, glaring back at his brother. “Duh. ‘course I can.” 

Dan scoffs behind him, pushing Stephen with an elbow. “Go prove it then.” He says, not even looking up from his book. He expects Stephen to get up and join Ann and the others.

Stephen glares at the back of his head, Dan paying no mind to him. “Fine, I will!” Then he reaches around Dan, smacking the book out of his hands. 

“I was reading that.” Dan states, staring at his book thrown to the side. Then he yells in alarm as Stephen grabs him by the arm, dragging him over to Ann, who’s already digging through her satchel for more colors.

“Elias, come on, I’ll paint your nails blue like mine, we can match!” Gavin says, Elias looking up from his paper. 

He twirls the pencil in his hand, humming. “Sure, why not.” He agrees, getting up and ignoring how Dan and Stephen are arguing with each other as Ann pleasantly names out the colors she has in her possession. 

“Jay, don’t get left out!” Hosuh calls out, leaning out into the hallway as he waves his hand for the paint to dry. 

“I can paint my own nails-!” Dan kicks at Stephen, who’s grappling for Dan’s hand.

“No, you said to  _ prove _ it-” Stephen says, hitting his palm into Dan’s forehead in retaliation.

“Yeah, so paint your own nails!” Dan protests.

“No!” Stephen responds, raising his hand out as Ann gives him a color at random. It’s a nice purple color. Shame it’s going to be very terribly painted on, though, as Stephen insists on “gracing Dan with his awesome talent”

Jay comes over and happily has his nails painted yellow, Hosuh doing one hand and Ann doing the other.

“They kinda look the same.” Hosuh says, grinning awkwardly as Jay makes a face.

“No, you can definitely tell which one is mine and which one is yours.” Ann deadpans, breaking out into a laugh. Hosuh wilts as Jay tries to reassure him that it looks great.

\---

Yanna sighs, walking down the road as she glares angrily at the moon, knowing that she has taken far too long. 

Granted, she probably should have just hit one and ran, but it was good practice for the games, in her defense. She was able to take down three of them and make one stab his own partner before being able to grab her stuff and sprint away.

To which then the ones who could still run  _ followed _ , which wasn’t ideal, but Yanna just kept throwing rocks and running as fast she can, finally losing them an hour later by taking a bunch of complicated turns and running in and out of shops, finally safe in a weird nick-nack store of a sorts, Yanna looking out the window and seeing them give up, walking past.

She still stayed in there for about fifteen minutes, ignoring the mean look the shopkeeper lady gave her when Yanna didn’t buy anything.

Now she’s walking down the road, back to the usual path home, night having fallen and Yanna knowing Ivu is probably worried. 

She takes a different route, this time, avoiding her usual alleyway and taking a long way around. It includes a few more stairs and one path that resulted in her walking through a spiderweb, and boy, wasn’t that fun, but she gets home, finally standing at the front door as she locks it behind her, sighing.

Walking through the house with quiet steps, Yanna makes her way to the bedroom, finding Ivu sound asleep, on the bed.

Carefully putting the bag and her sword down, Yanna grabs the blanket by her, pulling it over her mom. Then she takes a step back, watching Ivu’s tired face as she sleeps. 

Just one more day. The games will change everything, Yanna is sure of that.

She turns around, going down the hall to the kitchen to fix up some food. She offhandedly wonders if Ivu had eaten anything while she was gone. She grabs an extra bowl for the stew had made earlier, heating it over a small fire. 

Yanna is stirring at it, pouring some into the bowls when she hears Ivu call out from the room.

“Yanna? Yanna!” 

She runs back to the room, swinging around the corner of the doorway. “Yeah?”

“You’re okay!” Ivu says, going to move off the bed. Yanna quickly runs up to her, hugging her and sitting down next to her so she doesn’t have to get up. “Sorry, it just, you took long, and I saw your sword when I woke up, so I thought-”

“Oh yeah!” Yanna scrambles to grab the bag, dragging it over. She takes out the medicine, putting it to the side. “Uh, okay, so this is supposed to help with the pain, so take that regularly, you can wrap your leg with this-” Yanna takes out the bandages, placing them in Ivu’s hand, then goes after the cane that’s tied to the back, tugging it off. She leaves the flower hidden in the bag, deciding to save it for later.

“Also, look at this!” She holds it out for Ivu, who looks with wide eyes at said cane, slowly taking it from Yanna.

“It’s beautiful.” Ivu says quietly. The cane looks more like a staff, really, a silver color with carvings all along the wood. “Wasn’t this expensive?”

Yanna shrugs with a grin. “I got the price down well.” 

Ivu puts it to the side, shaking her head. “Why did you take so long to get back?”

Yanna breathes in deeply, hesitating. She clasps her hands together, putting them to her mouth. “Okay, so I may have almost gotten mugged.”

“Again!?” Ivu yells in concern.

“Yeah, but it’s fine! I didn’t get a scratch on me and also they chased me for a good while because I kinda kicked their butts, but I lost them!” Yanna grins. “Made me pretty late, but at least I got away!” 

Ivu smiles, responding by wrapping her hands around Yanna and hugging her. “I’m just glad you’re okay.”

Yanna hugs back, staring at the wall behind Ivu. Should she mention that she practically heard plans for a assassination of the prince? A moment passes and Yanna decides, no, it’s fine. The prince has had plenty of assassination attempts on his life, he’ll be fine either way. It’s not like Yanna’s warning would do much.

“Oh wait, I have food cooking-!” Yanna blurts out, almost falling off the bed as she sprints off to the kitchen. Ivu laughs, yelling out a warning for Yanna to not trip.

\---

Stephen wakes up in the middle of the night, blinking into the dim room, the candles still weakly burning around the room as the others sleep on around him. 

He almost goes back to sleep, but he turns around, checking behind him to find Jay sleeping undisturbed, but Dan nowhere to be found.

A glance at the door shows that it’s slightly open, and Stephen has a hunch at where he’s gone. He sits up, nudging Hosuh next to him until he wakes up.

Hosuh mumbles a little, squinting at Stephen who puts a finger over his own mouth, tugging at Hosuh to get up. Hosuh gives him a confused face, but stands up anyway, going with Stephen.

They both silently sneak away, slipping through the door into the hallway, Stephen shutting the door with a small click. 

“Why are we up?” Hosuh whispers, yawning. He glances to Pillow, who stares up at them for a moment, intrigued, then lays back down, going back to sleep and not caring about what the two of them are up to.

“Dan is out of bed.” Stephen whispers back, nodding his head down the hallway. “I think I know where he might be.” 

“Geez, at this time, Dan?” Hosuh says under his breath, rubbing at his eyes. “Lead the way.” He says, to Stephen, nodding.

They both quietly walk down the hallway, Hosuh holding onto Stephen by his sleeve, yawning again. Stephen peers around the corner, finding it to be empty. He pulls both of them across, walking quickly.

They do run into a few guards, but they also both hide into corners and shadows whenever they pass, not wanting to deal with people at this time. They’re just looking for Dan. 

Eventually, they get through the halls undetected, Stephen pushing the library doors open as Hosuh glances around for anyone.

They go inside, Hosuh shutting the door quietly behind them as Stephen walks ahead, passing through the aisles of books. Hosuh speedwalks a little to catch up, looking around.

“Over here.” Stephen says, turning and walking to the left, and sure enough, they get to an empty area, with a table having books placed all across it, some even on the floor as it seems that they’re all organized into piles. 

At the middle of the mess, Dan’s asleep in a chair, head leaning on the table, a book laying open under him. 

“Wait, don’t wake him yet.” Hosuh whispers, nudging at Stephen as they both walk up to the table. 

Hosuh kneels down, going through the books on the floor and skimming over the titles as Stephen pushes some of the books on the table to the side, sitting on the table and looking down at Dan, who sleeps on.

“These are all about magic.” Hosuh murmurs, holding up a book as he stands up, showing it to Stephen. Stephen takes it from him, frowning as he looks at the other books on the wooden table.

“Hm.” Stephen gives a mischievous smile to Hosuh, raising the book up high and glancing at Dan sleeping. Hosuh shakes his head vigorously. Stephen nods his head in response. 

Then he drops it onto the table, Hosuh flinching as it bangs against the wood, effectively waking up Dan, who shoots up, eyes wide.

He’s awake for all of three seconds, looking at Hosuh and Stephen, then lowers his head back down, his forehead banging into the table with a groan. “ _ What _ ?”

“Hello to you too.” Stephen says, sitting criss cross on the table as Hosuh goes and gets a chair to sit on. “Good morning, or good night, it’s the middle of the night, care to explain why the hell you’re in here, at an ungodly time, researching magic of all things?”

Dan raises his head the slightest bit, glaring. It doesn’t have much effect though, considering he’s tired. “I couldn’t sleep. So, I chose a topic and binge read whatever I could get my hands on.”

Hosuh makes a face, humming skeptically. 

“What?” Dan asks, lifting his head up and leaning on his elbows. 

“Well, not to be mean or anything, but I don’t really believe that.” Hosuh says, giving a small smile. 

Dan frowns. “Okay, maybe that’s not the exact reason, but I really couldn’t sleep.”

“What, so you went through a bunch of magic books so you  _ could _ sleep?” Stephen remarks.

“No- I dunno, I just-” Dan sighs, running his hands through his hair. “I’m figuring something out, at the moment. I got this.”

Stephen flicks through a book beside him, his hands glancing to his nails for a moment, noticing that the dark green on it has already started chipping. Must've been one of the cheap nail polishes.

He turns his attention back to Dan. “You clearly do not. I know magic the best out of the three of us, I could probably help.”

“Are you worried about Gavin’s magic? I mean, he does kinda go haywire with it a lot.” Hosuh says, smiling at Stephen who rolls his eyes.

“No, Stephen can help him figure that out.” Dan waves a hand, yawning. “Probably.” He adds on, sighing.

“Then I don’t get why you are researching magic as if it’s that one week again where Hosuh’s magic first showed up. What are you worrying about?” Stephen asks, face scrunched up.

“We’re going to watch this tournament-gladiator type of thing, it’s called the Everdawn games, in about a day or so.” Dan pauses, taking note of the time. “Technically, tomorrow.”

“Okayyy, but what does that have to do-” Stephen glances to Hosuh with a confused look.

“Can you guys promise me you’ll be careful when we go, and you’ll watch Jay’s back while there?” Dan continues, his voice serious.

They both stare at him, eyes wide.

Stephen puts the book in his hands to the side as Hosuh leans forward in his chair. “Wait, what? What’s happening, I don’t-” Stephen goes to say.

“Is there going to be something bad?” Hosuh asks.

“I don’t- I’m not sure, but can you guys  _ promise _ me-” Dan rubs at his face. 

“We promise.” Hosuh cuts him off, glancing at Stephen. 

Stephen nods, looking at Dan. “Promise.”

“Just, be careful. I don’t know. Honestly, it might not even be that bad, I’m just, I think something might happen. I’m trying to…make sense of it all.”

Dan yawns, rubbing at his eyes. “And honestly, this isn’t the best time to talk about it  _ all _ .”

“We should probably get back to sleep.” Hosuh says, standing up from his chair, going to pull Dan up from his seat.

“Hmph, fine, but don’t think you’re off the hook, you’re explaining all of this later.” Stephen says, giving a stern look to Dan.

“I know.” Dan assures, nodding. “I’m just...figuring stuff out.” 

“Let us figure it out with you. We can help too.” Hosuh grins, pointing a thumb to his chest.

“Yeah, Stephen is the best at magic, whatever is bugging you, I can totally fix.” Stephen says dramatically, leaning into Dan’s side and smiling wide.

Hosuh rolls his eyes, looking to the side as he hides a small laugh. 

“What are you rolling your eyes at!?” 

“Huh? Oh, nothing, nothing.” Hosuh says, putting on a blank face.

Dan snorts, shaking his head. “Shush, can we go and get back to sleep already?”

Stephen quickly seems to move past being offended, nodding. “Sure, I’ll give you a piggyback ride back.”

Dan waves a hand. “No, I don’t-”

“If you say no I’ll start screaming-” Stephen says quickly, Hosuh choking on a laugh. 

“Stephen-!”

“What?! You-” Dan goes to protest, Stephen taking in a deep breath of air to start yelling. “Nope, nope, okay, fine!” Dan quickly agrees, slapping his hands over Stephen’s mouth.

So they go back like that, Stephen carrying Dan on his back as they sneak through the halls, not wanting to catch any guards in the middle of the night. 

Dan falls asleep halfway there, head leaning against Stephen’s and arms laying limply over Stephen’s shoulders.

“What do you think he was trying to look for in the library?” Hosuh whispers as they walk down an empty hall, glancing at Dan.

“With the games we’re going to go watch, maybe he’s worried about magic users, maybe with Gavin and his ice mishaps, could be a curse, or something?” Stephen says, glancing back at Dan.

“Like when he slept for so long that one time.” Hosuh mumbles.

“Or…” Stephen trails off, pausing in his steps, Hosuh walking past him and looking back at Stephen.

“Or what?”

“Or, new developing magic…” Stephen says quietly, face in thought. “I mean, he was reading like when we were trying to figure out  _ our _ magic. Could be-?”

“But how would Dan-” Hosuh cuts himself off, frowning and crossing his arms. “Then what type of magic was he looking for to learn about?” Hosuh asks.

They both stand in the hallway, looking at each other with matching worried faces, looking to Dan. 

Hosuh sighs. “We can continue this in the morning. I’m exhausted.”

“Agreed.” Stephen says, the two of them walking again, making it back to the room without any trouble. 

Stephen is able to drop Dan back into bed, and Hosuh and him are able to slip back under the blankets, no one waking up in the process.

Stephen looks at the messily done nail polish on his hands, then turns over, closing his eyes and going to bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ngl, updating is stupidly hard for me at the moment because my motivation for stuff went RIGHT out the window. Tried making this chap long so it's not so bad, but just saying, I might be slow with updates, comments, that sort of stuff in general because I'm just Not Vibing and also school is coming around the corner so that's fun.
> 
> But I'm not stressed. Just saying, I'm a little slow. But I do enjoy this story. And if you're still reading each update with glee, thanks, I love writing it. Once I'm done with this story (whenever that'll be lol) I hope you'll enjoy whatever original stories I'll cook up after. 
> 
> Anyway, thanks for reading, till next chap, hopefully I'll be quicker on that haha <3


	36. The calm before the storm

Dan wakes up without a dream this time, which is a bit comforting, although he also wakes up to the curtains being on fire and Elias yelling about “How could you forget candles have fire?! That’s what candles are FOR!”

He sat up to find Ann trying to put out the growing fire with a blanket, yelling the entire time. Hosuh was standing by the door with his arms crossed, not even looking surprised. Jay looks like he’s the only one who’s in a good mood with the room being on fire. 

“In my defence, the curtains shouldn’t be so damn  _ flammable _ !” Stephen yelled, throwing a pillow over Ann’s head as if that would help.

The room was then quickly half encased in ice by Gavin as Jay started laughing.

Five minutes later, the group sat in the hallway on the floor in a little half circle as Dan walked out of the room, slowly closing the door behind him to hide the damage.

“It’s not even 1 o clock, and somehow, you guys set the room on fire while I was still  _ sleeping _ .” Dan deadpans, crossing his arms. 

It’s quiet for a moment, different faces of both guilt and amusement on everyone as Dan facepalms.

Elias is the one who spoke up first. “In my defence, I was going to wake you up.” 

“Stephen did it!” Gavin cries out, Stephen summoning his staff in his hands for the sole purpose of smacking Gavin over the head. Gavin yells, trying to kick Stephen away. Stephen just tackles him.

“I’m honestly surprised you slept through all that.” Jay grins, Dan sighing as he sat down next to him, Ann and Hosuh. “There was a lot of screaming.”

Ann flops down onto the floor, groaning. “I tried putting it out before it got bigger.”

“You made an attempt?” Hosuh says, Ann whining into the floor. He gives her a small pat on the back.

“I’m just surprised we’ve all coexisted in a room this long without the room getting destroyed.” Dan says, yawning and stretching his arms up.

Jay whistles for Pillow, who’s sitting to the side, raising his head at Jay and immediately coming over, putting his head into Jay's lap, even if he’s a bit big for that. “New record.” He says, Dan resisting the urge to facepalm once more. 

He instead looks to Gavin, who’s trying to fend off Stephen with Elias just watching, shaking his head.

“Elias, I fucking  _ SWEAR- _ ”

“No, you’re on your own.” Elias says, Gavin screaming as Stephen drags him across the hall by the leg. 

“Do you think Jo is going to be upset over the room?” Hosuh asks, Ann raising her head from the floor. 

“...Nahhh.” Both her and Jay say, waving a hand. 

“Just let it thaw out, it’ll be good as new.” Ann says, nodding her head confidently. 

“Yes, it’ll be like it never happened, except for you know, the burnt curtains, and the burnt pillows that Stephen threw-” Dan says, smiling brightly.

“Well-” Jay tries to say, getting cut off.

“And the half burnt blankets, and the black marks on the roof from the smoke-” He continues.

“Dan-” Hosuh laughs.

“And the general smell of smoke, really, that’s just kinda stuck in the room right now, that we can’t air out because the windows are frozen shut-”

Ann looks through her pockets, bringing out a handful of gold. “Do you think I could bribe him to not mention it?” 

“You want to bribe a king?” Jay says, scoffing.

“I can try.” 

Stephen appears behind Jay, leaning onto Jay's head, much to the firestarter’s annoyance. “Well, we could steal all his gold from his castle and bribe him with that so he doesn’t mention it.”

“No, no, we are not doing that.” Dan says, looking to Gavin, who’s sulking in the back, Elias patting him on his shoulder.

“We could kick him out of his castle, and not let him in until he agrees to not mention it.” Ann suggests.

“No-”

“We could hold him hostage until he agrees to not mention it.” Jay says, patting at Pillow’s head. 

Ann snaps her fingers at him. “That one sounds the easiest.”

“Can’t we just. Ask him politely.” Hosuh suggests, raising his hand. 

Dan facepalms.

\---

They move away from the hallway to the kitchens for breakfast, choosing to tell Jo about the room when he finds out about it on his own. 

There, they sit down by a nice table on ridiculously comfy chairs, with some food easily being served to them.

Dan honestly missed good food, even if the food here was a bit too fancy for his liking, to the point where Ann was poking at it weirdly with her fork.

“What even is this?” Ann asked, squinting at it like the food had a plan to poison her. Dan noted that Elias had also given the food a funny look. Gavin had just started eating without a care in the world, Hosuh and Stephen didn’t seem to think twice once Dan had taken a bite, and Jay looked used to it.

“It’s eggs.” Jay said, tossing a bit to Pillow, who kept nudging him for some, sitting behind his chair.

“Okay, then why is it mostly green.” Ann whispered, Dan rolling his eyes. 

“Vegetables?” Jay shrugged, making a face. “At least I think that’s what this is.”

“This reminds of this one time I had gotten scrambled eggs at this shady diner place.” Elias says, nibbling at his food. 

“Were they good?” Gavin asks.

“Well, they were poisoned, actually. I made someone else eat them before me. Turns out I had some assassin trying to kill me.” Elias says casually, twirling his fork.

“The person who ate the eggs was fine though, right?” Hosuh said, smiling hesitantly.

Elias hummed, not giving an answer and chewing on his food.

“...right?!” 

“He lived.” Elias said.

“Didn’t Dan get poisoned once?” Ann said curiously, Hosuh nodding.

“Oh, yeah, he did.” Hosuh said, smiling at Dan.

“More than once.” Stephen deadpanned, Dan making a face.

“It was only three times.” Dan said, waving a hand. Elias made a confused face, pushing his plate away to focus on Dan. 

“Three times?!”

“It was actually five…” Hosuh whispers to Dan and putting a hand over his mouth, Stephen also leaning in. 

“Oh yeah, with that pissed off bartender, and that one lady I had dumped my drink onto?” Stephen quietly says, also putting a hand over his mouth, Dan scoffing. 

“That last time was purely your fault, and I hope you know that.” Dan says, Hosuh snickering behind a hand.

“I regret nothing.” Stephen hisses, flipping Dan off. 

“Would you three stop whispering about Dan getting poisoned and tell me how the hell he is even alive?” Elias says, Ann snorting.

“Hosuh is great with healing magic.” Stephen offers as an explanation, Elias sputtering. 

“Man, if I had a coin for each time I poisoned someone’s food, I would have two coins, which isn’t a lot, but it’s still weird that I had to do it twice.” Gavin says, looking thoughtful.

“You  _ what- _ ” Stephen chokes.

“Okay, come on, who  _ hasn’t _ tried to poison someone’s food before?” Ann says, waving a hand.

“Uh, me?!” Jay exclaims, his face perplexed. 

“Then you’re the odd one out.” Stephen says, Dan groaning and letting his face fall into his hands.

“You’ve poisoned someone’s food?!” Elias asks, hands raised up.

“Only twice.” Hosuh reassures, Elias not at all being comforted by that. 

“Do you people just casually try and murder people whenever?” Jay deadpans. 

“Hey, only when necessary.” Gavin defends, Ann making a face and looking to the floor like it’s the most interesting thing the world.

“Do we really have to turn the topic onto which of us has casually tried to murder someone?” Dan asks, Stephen looking like he’s thinking about it.

“What, is murder a banned topic?” Ann says, crossing her arms. “Boo, that’s boring.”

“I just want one goddamn dinner without you people talking about murder at the dinner table.” Dan pointed a finger at her. 

“This is breakfast.” Stephen grinned, Dan pointing his fork at him.

“Now, guys-” Hosuh tried saying.

“Do the laws just not exist to you people?!” Elias questions, Stephen bursting out laughing, Dan slamming his head into the table. Hosuh covered his eyes. 

“Have you  _ met _ them?” Jay scoffs, Gavin snickering.

“Hey, did Pillow go into the kitchen?” Ann suddenly asks, taking a bite of her eggs.

The whole table goes quiet for a bit. Jay checks behind his chair to find his dragon missing. The sound of screaming and pans clanging around is coming from the kitchens. 

“ _ Goddammit- _ ” Jay runs out of his seat, Ann running after him. Stephen steals her eggs. 

\---

They eventually wrangle Pillow out of the kitchen, with a rushed apology to the chefs as Pillow runs out with a pan in his mouth.

Jay has to play a game of tug of war in order to get the pan away from his dragon, and halfway through that game, he gets dragged across the hallway while trying to get his dragon to listen to him. 

“Keep pulling, Jay, you almost got it!” Ann cheered him on, leaning to Hosuh and whispering. “He don’t got it.”

By the time the pan was out of the dragon's mouth, it was practically bent in half, so Jay threw it to the side and everyone just decided to walk back to the room, which would maybe look better after a while of thawing out. 

Probably. 

On the way there, Jo found them, smiling and making his way over as soon as he spotted them across the hall.

“Quick, everyone act natural.” Gavin whispered, Ann immediately snickering. 

“So, how about that weather?!” Stephen asks loudly, Dan putting a hand over his mouth and jolting his hand back with a yell as Stephen tried to bite him.

“There you guys are! I was looking for you.” Jo smiled, pausing in front of them.

“Were you? What for, exactly?” Jay asked, giving a perfectly innocent smile, Pillow making a squeak noise from behind him.

“Surely not because we did something bad, right?” Ann asks suspiciously, Jo’s smile turning strained.

“Wha...what did you do?” Jo asks, looking worried.

“Nothing.” Hosuh says, everyone sighing with how easily he covers for them. “Why were you looking for us?”

“Oh, well, I was thinking, for tomorrow, there’s an event we can all go to! For fun, you know?” Jo says, clasping his hands together.

“An event?” Elias asks, waiting for more.

“Yeah, it was Dan’s idea actually.” Jo says, Hosuh and Stephen staring at Dan for a moment before turning their attention back to Jo. Dan pretends to not notice. “We have this tournament fight style type of competition, where the participants fight each other in rounds until there’s one more left standing.” 

“Ooh, that sounds fun.” Ann mumbles, curious.

“We’re only going to watch.” Dan says, Ann sulking. 

“Yeah, they’re called the Everdawn games, and they happen annually. I usually don’t attend….but this time around we can go and see how it is.” 

“I’d be up for that.” Gavin chimes, everyone giving nods of agreement.

“When is this, again?” Stephen asks, tilting his head.

“Tomorrow. So, be sure to be prepared?” Jo tells them, giving a small awkward grin.

“We’ll be ready, and I’m sure it’ll be fun to go.” Dan reassures, nodding. They start to go, but they get stopped by Jo seeming to realize something.

“Oh, but Jay…” Jo trails off, turning around and raising a finger. He puts a hand to his face, humming. 

“What?” Jay asks. 

“Yeah, what?” Ann repeats, grinning.

“What what?” Stephen also says, Dan rolling his eyes as the two of them lean into Jay, eyes wide and waiting for Jo to go on. Jay looks at the two of them as if he’s contemplating on whether or not he should push them away, since they’re both squishing him. He chooses not to.

Jo scoffs at them. “No, it’s just, since both me and Jay are royalty, we do get special seating.” 

“Lucky!” Ann chimes, squinting her eyes at Jay. Jay sticks out his tongue in response. 

“You guys would just be beside us, don’t worry.” Jo reassures. “But the thing is, if Jay is going as a king, he should probably…” Jo waves his hands, giving a sheepish smile. “Look more royal?” 

“What's wrong with the way I look right now?” Jay asks, Jo frantically waving his hands as to rephrase that. 

“Nothing, nothing! Except, you know, I’m sure I could get you clothes that would make you look less like a random adventurer and rather someone who rules a kingdom.” Jo says, Jay still giving him an unhappy look.

“Ha, he’s saying you look bad.” Stephen says, Dan smacking him in the back of the head. Stephen swears loudly, hitting Dan back. Dan kicks at his shin. Stephen tackles him to the floor, Elias having to sidestep into Gavin to avoid getting hit by the two, who start fighting with each other on the ground, ignoring Jo’s slightly concerned face.

“Wait, we could totally dress you up!” Ann realizes, hitting her hands to her face. Hosuh nods enthusiastically, the two of them high fiving, eyes gleaming with ideas.

Jay takes a big step back. “Nice offer, really…” He says to Jo, as Hosuh and Ann turn to him, grinning in unison. 

“Nope-” Jay turns around, breaking into a sprint. Ann lunges forward, wrapping her arms around him and tugging him backwards. He stumbles, struggling to not both fall to the ground but also to get away from Ann, who’s laughing as she pulls him. Hosuh grabs his other arm, also pulling at him, wanting to mess with Jay.

“Dan!” Jay yells for help, kicking and dragging his feet. 

“Dan’s busy!” Stephen says, just as he elbows Dan in the stomach, Dan wheezing.

“So, where to?” Gavin asks pleasantly to Jo, smiling. Behind him, Jay is screaming bloody murder as Ann and Hosuh are grabbing him, two of them giggling. Ann is practically lifting him into the air, Jay kicking his feet up as he yells for Ann to put him down, right now, I WILL set you on fire, I  _ swear- _

Stephen and Dan are still brawling on the ground, hitting at each other. Dan gets a hold onto Stephen and flips him into the air for a moment, Stephen screaming. Elias easily ducks as a shoe goes flying over his head, landing beside Jo’s foot.

Jo mentally screams a little, remembering again just how ridiculously chaotic these people are at times, then points down the hall, plastering a polite smile on his face. “There’s a room down the hall I usually use for fittings. I’m sure someone could help you out.” 

“Cool!” Gavin says, Elias smiling. 

\---

“I hate this.” Jay says, as Ann tugs another cape over his shoulders. 

“Shush! The master is at work.” Ann says, holding up a purple cape and making a face. 

“Red would look better!” Stephen yells out from where he’s sitting to the side with the others, Hosuh nodding. 

“It goes with his eyes? Well, one eye.” Hosuh says with red cloth in his hands, Jay looking up to the ceiling for strength.

“Pillow, help me.” Jay pleads to where Pillow is sitting just outside the door, Dan sitting beside the dragon at the doorway. 

“It’s just clothes, Jay.” Dan smiles, Jay making a face.

“Ugh.” Jay doesn’t get to say anything else after that because Ann is throwing a flowy dark purple fabric at his face.

“Try that on!” Ann says, looking proud of herself.

“Can I repeat that I did not agree to this?” Jay says, although he still goes to try it on anyway. 

“No you cannot.” Hosuh chimes, laughing a little.

“Shouldn’t he have jewelry, too?” Stephen says, grinning. “Being all royal and all.”

“I will attack you in your sleep!” Jay yells out from the little room he went into to change. 

“Go ahead and try it!” Stephen shoots back, sounding confident. 

“Stephen no-” Gavin tries to say, Stephen jabbing him in the forehead, cutting him off.

“I do have this ring.” Ann says, producing a ruby ring from her pocket. 

“Oh, from that one guy we robbed, right?” Hosuh says, Elias giving a look to Dan, who wisely does not look back and instead just pets Pillow on the head. 

“Yeah! It’ll look nice.” Ann nods.

“Okay, I already miss my simple clothes.” Jay walks out from behind the curtain, looking down at the golden designs woven in all around his sleeves. 

“But it looks awesome.” Ann says, grabbing a red cape and throwing it over Jay’s shoulders, securing it. She holds up the ring for Jay and Jay takes it without complaint, humming. 

She walks backwards, putting a hand to her chin.

“It’s missing something.” Elias says, Dan nodding in agreement. 

“Crown?” Gavin says, and Stephen nods, gasping.

“Of course! Jay, you need a crown.” Stephen says, Jay rolling his eyes.

“I have one! Hosuh, look in my bag.” Ann says, Hosuh looking a bit panicked at having to put his hand into the abyss that is Ann’s satchel but he does it anyway, pulling out a familiar crown.

“Wait, that’s-” Dan recognizes it.

“That’s my old crown.” Jay says, surprised. “You still have that?”

“Yes.” Ann says, Hosuh putting the crown onto Jay’s head.

“Tada! We did great.” Hosuh cheers, high fiving Ann. 

Jay looks to a mirror, eyes glued onto his old crown that he used to wear so often before he went with these people. 

“Yeah. You did.” He says, smiling warmly.

\---

Yanna wakes up slowly, getting up with a yawn.

The games are tomorrow. Her chance to change things for the better is all tomorrow. She won’t lie in saying the thought of it makes her panic a bit, but she’s also kinda excited. The idea of dueling people in front of a cheering crowd makes her a bit pumped up. 

She rolls out of bed, footsteps quiet as she goes through the house, to the kitchen. 

There’s no doubt that the other opponents she’ll be fighting will be stronger, smarter than her, but she feels like with the goal of helping Ivu in her head, that would be enough to kick any other person into the dirt. 

Yanna looks through the kitchen for some bread she bought earlier, breaking off bits and sitting on the table as she slowly eats, humming to herself. 

There’s also been rumors that the prince is going to actually come watch this year, along with certain guests. The rumors on the who’s going with him have been somewhat warped, though. Some people have said he’s bringing a powerful king from a distant land. Others say he’s bringing a half dragon sorcerer. She heard one account saying that he’s bringing along a group of dangerous, wanted criminals.

Overall, Yanna’s excited. A bit terrified, sure, but it oughta be interesting.

Small thunks come from the hallway, Ivu walking carefully into the kitchen. Yanna jumps off the table to help her, putting the half eaten loaf of bread to the side.

“I could have brought you breakfast.” Yanna says, Ivu giving an easy smile.

“Nah, I wanted to get out of bed anyway.” She says, going to sit down at the table. Yanna walks around the kitchen to grab some food anyway, fruit and bread, placing down on the table for Ivu.

“So,” Ivu starts, grabbing an apple. “Ready for the games tomorrow?” 

“Oh my god, the nerves are  _ killing _ me.” Yanna drawls, slumping into a chair across from Ivu. “People are saying the prince is coming to watch, and apparently all the participants are like, really well trained this year, and I’m going to  _ die _ .”

Ivu snorts, chewing on her apple.

“Well, I’ll win, but internally I’ll be constantly yelling, you know?” Yanna says, putting her hands to her chest.

Ivu shakes her head, laughing. “Yes, yes. Listen, Yanna,” Ivu leans onto the table, her eyes kind. “Just know that if you don’t win, or if you can’t win, it’s alright, okay?” 

“I, I guess-”

“No, it’s fine. You’re so brave for wanting to do this in the first place, and I’m so proud of you.” Ivu says, Yanna smiling. “Just keep in mind that if you come home tomorrow, a little bruised up and tired, not quite the winner, you did great.”

Yanna gets up from her chair, hugging her. “Love you.”

“Love you too.” Ivu hugs back, closing her eyes. She only wishes that Yanna does come back tomorrow night. She doesn’t know what she’ll do if she doesn’t.

\---

  
  


The night comes quickly, and the group ends up just using another room to sleep in, this time all the candles being held very far away from Stephen, even as he insists that, really, shouldn’t Jay be the one we should worry about, the man has fire hands for fucks sake-

“And who here started the fire?” Ann says, as she repaints Jay’s nails, holding up the nail polish brush with a look.

“Do not.” Stephen threatens, holding a knife up. Dan kicks him in the leg from where he’s laying down, Stephen giving an offended gasp.

“Put the knife away, you hooligan.” Dan says, hearing Hosuh laugh a little from where he’s sitting beside him. 

“Besides, I can control my fire. No need to worry about me.” Jay assures, smiling.

“You used to burst into flames the first few weeks-” Ann says, putting another coat onto his nails.

“We don’t talk about that.” Jay quickly says, Gavin laughing from the doorway. Elias is out in the hallway with Pillow, leaning against the dragon with a book in his hands. Gavin sits beside them both, petting at Pillow’s scales.

“You know what I think isn’t fair?” Stephen says, holding up his knife to his chin thoughtfully. 

“You’re going to nick yourself.” Hosuh warns, Stephen continuing. 

“That only Jay and Jo get to have a crown.” 

“I’m royalty. You, are not.” Jay says, pointing a finger to himself.

“I’m royalty in my eyes, bitch, and that’s enough for me.” Stephen shoots back, Dan snorting.

“Just steal a crown.” Gavin suggests, Elias slapping a hand at his arm for the suggestion, Gavin laughing.

“Good idea, I’m doing that. I’m royalty now.” 

“All hail Stephen.” Ann says sarcastically, Hosuh snickering.

Dan smiles and shakes his head, closing his eyes.

  
  
  


And falls into a dream.

  
  
  
  


He’s standing in the arena again. And the sight of it on fire with the sounds of fighting around him makes him unsettled. 

“Dan!” He can hear Jay yell, and his sword is in his hand, when did that happen? There’s people around him, wearing masks.

“DAN!” Dan runs past them, not bothering to fight, trying to get to an exit instead-

“DANIEL, GET DOWN!” And Dan does so, slamming into the dirt as fire burns over him, Dan holding his hands over his head, closing his eyes and trying to not panic, dream, it’s a dream, wake up, wake up, wake-

  
  


He startles awake, breathing heavy. There’s sun coming through the window as everyone quietly sleeps around him.

The Everdawn Games are today.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \+ Can I just add that the "Dan and Stephen always brawling on the ground" thing actually came from like, my actual school experience. (I honestly didn't realize I was writing the same situation before I reflected on middle school and was like "WAIT A MINUTE-")
> 
> Basically, there was these two guys in my friend group that always fought each other in like, a friendly way?? They'd both be like "You suck." YOU WANNA GO?!" And then they would swing at each other and tackle each other to the ground, and me and my friends would walk past them like "oh this again" (this happened like every other day)
> 
> To be honest, a lot of the reason so much of the story is like "chaotic friendship vibes" is because I accidentally referenced my school experiences with my idiot friends. There, have a bit of backstory from your author :P


	37. To the games!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fhskjdnaknsk
> 
> school,,,,,Sucks.
> 
> but enjoy! <3

Yanna wakes up slowly to the darkness of her room, blinking blearily at the ceiling. The room is slightly cold, and she pulls the blankets over her head as she gathers her thoughts, slowly waking up. She could have sworn she had the weirdest dream, something about a monkey, maybe-

She pauses, jolting up in her bed. 

“Oh  _ frick- _ ” She falls onto the floor, half tangled in her sheets as she scrambles to escape the clutches of her covers. Today’s the Everdawn Games,  _ the _ Everdawn Games, where Yanna is going to be fighting in a dangerous arena. 

With a huge crowd watching. 

And maybe even the prince attending.

Yanna slumps back onto the floor, groaning. Oh, what she would give to just rob a rich person and be done with this. Maybe Ivu wouldn’t condone it, but Yanna would much rather just rob some dude than have to fight all day in order to win the chance to be rich. 

She glances to her window, finding it’s still dark out, so she still has time, which lets her face plant back into the floor without any stress, groaning again. 

“Yanna?” 

Yanna raises her head, squinting in the dark at Ivu, who’s looking down at her from the doorway. 

“Well, you look very prepared.” 

“I’m mentally preparing myself.” Yanna says, flopping over to the side and pulling at the sheets to tug them over her head. “It’s a process.” 

“Of course. I have some breakfast in the kitchen?” Ivu says, smiling and turning the other way, shaking her head. 

Yanna glances to her mom and stares. She was pretty sure that the cane Yanna had gotten her Ivu the other day wasn’t that tall. It looks like it grew overnight, almost as tall as Ivu, who leans onto it as she walks down the hallway, the small thunks of the staff hitting the wood sounding out.

She frowns, pushing herself up off the ground. Did Ivu just have something other than the cane laying around? She must’ve, right? 

Sighing quietly, Yanna gets to her feet, going to the kitchen with her mom, pausing at the entrance. 

There’s a full plate on the table, and candles placed around the kitchen to light it up in the early morning. Ivu’s humming, her face wincing as she walks, but she looks...happy.

Yanna falters at the door, smiling. Ivu looks up, face expectant. 

“I think today is going to be a great day.” Yanna chimes, waltzing into the kitchen, to the table. 

“You know, I think so too.” Ivu says back, making her way over to a chair from across Yanna. “Part of me wants to try and get to the arena so I can watch you fight.”

“Nah, I’d rather you rest.” Yanna chews at her food, head down. “I’ll be sure to come back with something though. Either a cool story of me losing a fight or a lot of money.”

Ivu hums, nodding slowly. “I heard the prince is coming by this time.” She says, eyes almost teasing with the way she looks at Yanna.

“Yea.” Yanna nods, thinking about that. She’s met the prince just once, and while that may have not been the best first impression, maybe she could rope him into a conversation. Get some coins out of him. Everyone knows how kind he can be to people in need, when he actually does leave his castle. 

“There’s people saying that he’s going to bring guests with him, too.” Yanna says, looking up to Ivu.

Ivu places her hands on the table and leans forward, grinning like she has a secret. “You know what I’ve heard rumors of?”

Yanna leans forward, curious. 

“It’s just a few whispers, but I’ve heard that the guests that the prince is bringing along? One of them has a  _ dragon _ .” Ivu whispers, like someone might listen in.

Yanna blinks, gasping quietly. “What? Really?!”

Ivu nods, laughing a little. “And it’s not small, either. Apparently it flew up above the front gates…” Ivu raises her hand up, Yanna’s eyes following, imagining. “Caused plenty of havoc for the guards. Didn’t eat anyone though, or at least, that I know of.”

“A dragon.” Yanna whispers, grinning. “Have you ever seen one before?”

“A few times, actually.” Ivu admits, looking at her staff, tapping it on the floor. “Wild ones, a long time ago.”

“You’ve never told me about that!” 

Ivu shrugs, nonchalant. “It was back when I was pretty young, exploring.” Yanna waits on, wanting more. Ivu never told much of before she lived in the kingdom, but Yanna has gotten bits and pieces before, enough to know Ivu’s traveled in untamed lands more than a few times.

“I’ll tell you when you get back from the games.” Ivu says, Yanna jolting up in her seat. 

“The games!” She yells, running out of her seat. 

Ivu laughs a little as Yanna sprints into the hallway, the sound of her tumbling to the ground only making Ivu snort. 

Yanna comes back into the kitchen, tugging a boot on, her sword strapped to her back.

“Okay, when I get back, I better get  _ tons _ of stories.” Yanna says, pointing a finger to Ivu. 

“I’ll think of a good one.” Ivu smiles, holding up a hand. “Oh, wait, could you go grab something from my room? In my drawer, by my bed.”

“Sure.” Yanna says, quickly walking over to said room, glancing to outside for a moment. The sky is starting to get brighter, she doesn’t have much time to hang around.

Walking over to the drawer, Yanna pulls it open, blinking down at something wrapped in old cloth, dirty and worn at the edges. She picks it up, holding it carefully and going back to the kitchen. 

“What’s this?” Yanna asks, giving it to Ivu as she has her hand stretched out. 

Ivu doesn’t respond, instead tugs at the string holding the cloth in place, untying it and pulling a small dagger out.

“....when did you get  _ that _ ?!” Yanna asks, taking a small step back. 

“I’ve had this before you were even around, actually.” Ivu says, wiping it with the cloth then holding it up, Yanna looking over it.

It’s just a small, sharp dagger, the hilt a dark blue with something looking like a grey crystal, maybe, embedded in it. 

Ivu held it out for Yanna, Yanna taking it and turning it over in her hands.

“You could have it. For today, at least. As a backup, in case you can’t reach your sword or something.” 

“This is cool.” Yanna mumbled, still turning the blade over in her hands. 

“You should get going.” Ivu reminded, Yanna nodding and putting the dagger away in her boot. 

Giving Ivu a bone crushing hug, Yanna turned around and walked down the hallway, yelling her goodbyes as she went out the door and started running towards the arena.

Ivu sat at the table, looking to her staff and frowning at the dull ache that stayed in her leg.

Oh, how she wishes she mastered healing magic instead of her other spells. It would be much more useful now, in a quiet life in the kingdom. 

Waving a hand, the candles in the kitchen all blew out, Ivu limping over to her bedroom. She woke up pretty early for this, maybe if she just sleeps, she’ll wake up to Yanna coming back.

\---

If there’s one thing Dan adores his brother for, it’s the way that he can sometimes keep the others under control.

Keyword here being: Sometimes.

Dan left for, what, twenty minutes? He had gone to grab breakfast, walking back with a few friendly servants, different trays all in hand. 

When they start walking back, Dan can hear their yelling from down the hallway. Jay’s laying against Pillow, Hosuh beside him and still looking half asleep and yawning with a wave as he sees Dan.

“Sup.” Jay greets, Dan putting a plate down on the floor for them both.

“BULLSHIT, THAT’S BULLSHIT-” Dan heard Stephen swear, nearly choking as he heard Elias, of all people, yell back.

“YOU KNOW WHAT’S BULLSHIT?! YOUR CARD PLAYING STRATEGIES!”

“What the fuck.” Dan said quietly, Jay bursting out laughing. 

“Stephen and Elias started playing cards, except Stephen started cheating, so Elias cheated too, and now they’re both salty.” Hosuh says, reaching for a piece of toast. 

Dan turns to the servants he walked with, who looks slightly concerned, and tells them to just put the trays down in the hallway, turning back to the room and pushing the door open, going inside.

Both Stephen and Elias are on their feet, a mess of cards across the floor. Gavin is sitting on the ground beside the two of them, trying to downplay the arguing, his face going panicked as they both turn to him to see who won at the unfair card game.

He fumbles, waving his hands around under the two of them. “Uhm- well, I mean, Elias-”

“ _ Gavin _ .” Stephen says, Gavin switching gears.

“Actually, on second thought-”

“GAVIN.” Elias yells, Gavin looking like he’s dying on the spot.

“UHHHH-”

Ann is sitting in the back, looking like she’s having the time of her life watching this go down. 

“I got toast for breakfast.” Dan says, all of them turning to Dan, Gavin looking grateful for the distraction. 

Both Stephen and Elias side eye each other, then shrug, as if the argument never happened, going off to go eat. 

“They’re both banned from card games. Oh god, never again.” Gavin says weakly, slowly laying down on the floor as Ann cackles. 

Dan sighs, holding back a laugh and instead just smiling and shaking his head. 

\---

  
  


“Red? Or blue?” Ann asks, holding up an earring to her ear, eyes focused on the mirror in front of her. “Or purple?”

“I mean, they all look fine-” Gavin mumbles, sitting upside down in a cushioned chair off to the side, squinting at Ann. Elias is sitting next to him, laughing a little under his breath at the way Gavin looks like he’s about to fall off the seat.

Ann shakes her head, pointing to them with a pair of red earrings. “No, no,  _ listen- _ ”

“Ann, I, for one, think you look wonderful with whichever.” Jo says from the doorway, giving a bright smile with two thumbs up. 

“Aw, thank you!” Ann beams, reaching for another pair of earrings to hold them up once more. Jo doesn’t mention the fact that each time Ann picks up a pair, they go missing within her sleeves.

“I dunno, I just think...hm. Yes, no?” She ponders, holding up simple gold ones that shine in the light. 

“You know what I think?” Jay says from where he’s changing clothes behind a thick curtain. “I did not miss wearing clothes that were so… fancy.” 

“It makes you look nice.” Ann says distractedly, eventually choosing some bright red earrings. 

The curtain is pulled open, Jay scoffing a little. “Oh, I know it does. But I miss my hood.”

“Hoods are very useful.” Elias agrees, leaning back in his seat, Gavin raising a finger as he also agrees. 

“Yeah. Like for hiding your identity.”

“Okay, well-” Jo claps his hands together, Jay laughing. “You people are  _ not _ criminals in this kingdom, I’ve made sure of that.” 

“What about outside the kingdom?” Jay asks, Jo’s sighing.

“I can’t help with that one.” Jay snickers at that.

“Hey!” Hosuh pops his head into the room, everyone looking to him. “Are we ready?” He glances back into the hallway, where Dan is sitting on the ground next to pillow, head rising up questionably at Hosuh. 

Hosuh turns his head back to the others, where Gavin does fall from his seat, Elias helping him up with a laugh. 

“Yes, let’s go, adventures await!” Ann chimes, grabbing Jay’s crown from a table and throwing it onto his head as she runs out the door.

“This is just an event we’re watching, no adventures.” Jo says, following her out the door. “At least I hope so.” He adds quietly, having a feeling that it might not all go according to plan.

“Don’t worry, Jo, I’m sure it’ll be calm. Pillow should behave.” Elias says, patting Jo on the shoulder as they walk out into the hallway.

“Huh?” Jo turns his head to said dragon, who’s huffing smoke at Dan as he stands up, Dan sneezing. 

“Oh, yeah, Pillow is coming with.” Jay says, patting a hand onto the dragon’s scales.

“I don’t think walking around with a dragon in the kingdom would go well…?” Jo trailed off, giving Pillow a wary look. 

“Nonsense!” Gavin disagreed, waving a hand and leaning onto Pillow. “He’s super safe! I’m pretty sure he hasn’t even eaten anybody.” Gavin reassured, Jo not at all feeling very reassured. Pillow licked Gavin across the face, Gavin yelling and falling backwards.

“Aw, gross!” Gavin whined, Pillow looming over him and hitting at him with his paw, Gavin kicking a leg. “ _ Why _ are you hitting me- stop it!”

“Get him, get him.” Elias said, Gavin giving an offended look before getting hit gently by a dragon once more.

“Okay, moving on from the maybe safe, maybe not, dragon, I think we’re all ready to go?” Jo grinned, clapping his hands together. 

Dan crossed his arms, nodding to Hosuh. “Hosuh, could you go get Stephen? I think he said he forgot something in the room.” Dan said, the necromancer having been missing for a bit.

“Yeah, sure.” Hosuh nodded, walking down the hallway, hearing Jay and Ann start listing the many benefits of having a dragon as you walk through the kingdom.

“It’s  _ cool _ , Jo. Don’t you wanna be cool?” 

“I would like to not have Pillow set things on fire.”

“Then don’t make things flammable, pft.”

Hosuh rolled his eyes, stepping into the room just in time to see Stephen slip a small knife underneath his sleeve. 

“Got everything?” Hosuh asked, stopping in the doorway, raising an eyebrow. 

“I have all my favorite knives.” Stephen nodded, patting at his hips, which probably had razor sharp blades hidden away in the pockets. “You got what you need?”

“Well, I doubt we’ll really  _ need _ it.” Hosuh scoffed, turning around and going back out the door. He still checked to see that his potions were still tucked away in his pockets though. 

Poison, sleep potions, and destructive acids.

Hosuh’s a healer, but…

Stephen waves to Dan as they walk up, both him and Hosuh nudging each other in the arm, exchanging a glance. 

Maybe Dan didn’t even remember that he told them to be careful, but the two of them took it to heart, and had plenty of materials to kill a man. Or several.

They were ready.

\---

After Yanna had sprinted across town, she made her way through the large crowd in front of the arena, waited in the ridiculously long line, told her name, then waited for said name to be confirmed, the sun rising up as she waited, the morning arriving with the excitement of the kingdom. 

Once she was let through, finally getting pushed along into where the players were, she found herself walking along with a crowd, down a hallway.

The walls were stone, and it was a little dusty, a few torches lighting up their way as they went. Yanna spared a glance at the people she was apparently supposed to fight later on today, finding with little surprise that she was the youngest one here, and also the shortest, which made her frown a little. It was to be expected, but still.

They all paused, Yanna leaning to look past and see the lady leading them talk to the guards blocking the holding area.

After a moment, they were let past, and Yanna found herself walking into a big room with all kinds of weapons propped up on the walls, and multiple doors leading to smaller waiting areas. 

The women spoke up, raising a hand out to the room. “If you don’t have anything to fight with, you may choose a weapon from this selection. The Games will be set up in rounds, with a group of you being picked to go out at a time. I cannot tell you how said rounds are set up, or how you can prepare for them, I’ll only tell you how much time until the next round is to begin.”

Yanna let her eyes wander the room, eyeing the doors to the other waiting areas. From here, she could see that there were little windows, barred but showing the fighting grounds of the arena outside, presumably so the others waiting could watch the fight too. 

“I’ll warn you that the rounds can be either extremely dangerous and/or difficult, so if you’re not okay with the possibility of maybe dying in the next few hours, or losing an arm or leg, then you may turn around and leave the games.” 

A guy with a bandana around his head raises a hand, looking somewhat young, unsure. “Wait, lady, wasn’t there one time at the last games where half of the fighting grounds were set on  _ fire _ ? Or with the wasps nest, that one time-” 

“I’ll repeat, the games aren’t safe. But they are entertaining.” The woman says, her lips pulling up into a small smile. “The rules, as always, is to fight your opponent by the rules set for the round, until either death or surrender. No fighting is allowed in the waiting area. Killing your opponent after they’ve yielded is, and forgive my language, an asshole move, so if you do that, don’t be surprised when the crowd starts booing.” 

Yanna huffs a little, smirking. 

“This door-” She points to a large tall door that looks to be made of thick wood. “Goes to the arena, and this one, leads to a training area. You may train until the games officially start, which is about two hours from now. There will be food provided in about half an hour for you all.” Yanna looks to the other smaller door for the training place, seeing it lead to an open area outside.

“Any questions?” The woman says, the silence after being deafening. Yanna hears someone cough in the back. “Very well. You’re free to do what you’d like.”

Everyone moves then, scattered conversations as people spread out, reaching for weapons or heading to go and train.

Yanna runs to one of the waiting rooms, climbing onto a bench and peering out of the window, hands holding onto the bars. 

She can see the fighting grounds, or at least the bottom of it, the windows being fairly low to the ground, since the rooms are partially underground. The audience stands are empty, but Yanna knows that they’ll be filled soon enough, the games are one hell of a show to watch, and plenty of the kingdom come to watch.

Squinting past the bars, Yanna spots a specific viewing section, high up above the fighting area, with a roof over it to keep shade. That’s where the prince and his guests are supposed to sit, when they arrive later on today. Yanna offhandedly wonders how nice the view is from there, but brushes the thought off, instead stepping back and reaching for the sword on her back. 

She better go practice.

\---

Jo has actual horse drawn carriages ready for them as they walk out of the castle, two of them waiting, with riders standing beside the horses.

“Me and Elias call this one!” Gavin says, dragging Elias along as they climb into the first one, Ann running after them. 

“Oh man, I haven’t been in one of these in a while! What’s inside?” Ann says, hopping up the steps and peering inside with a grin.

“Don’t go taking anything from them Ann.” Dan says lightly as he walks with Jo, Stephen, Hosuh to the second one, Ann laughing. 

“Uh-huh, got it, Dan-”

“Hey, there’s compartments in here.” Elias observes, Ann practically throwing herself into her seat at hearing that.

“Really?! Open them!”

Dan sighs, shaking his head. “Hope you didn’t leave anything important in there.” He says to Jo, Jo laughing. 

“I can replace it.”

Stephen climbs into the second carriage, making a comment over how fancy the seats are. 

“This reminds me of that one time, remember, Hosuh? Back when we snuck into that one ball, you and me wore dresses-” Stephen snickers, Hosuh wacking at his arm as he sits beside Stephen. 

“No, I am not going to remember that.” Hosuh says, shaking his head and looking out the window. “Those heels were a pain.” He mumbles, Stephen humming with a dopey smile.

Dan rolls his eyes at the memory (that had been a while ago, but he can still vividly recall how everything went into chaos when Stephen had set one of the tables on fire, throwing his heels across the room even with the local guards coming at them), looking back at Jay, who’s climbing onto Pillow, pushing his cape to the side. 

“You’ll be flying, Jay?” Dan asks, Jo joining Hosuh and Stephen. 

“Yeah, me and Pillow will be overhead. Don’t worry, I’ll keep an eye on you guys, I’ll land once we get there.” Jay reassures, Dan waving. 

“See you there. Don’t cause trouble.” Dan says, turning to climb in with the others.

“Ehhh-” Jay gives as a response.

“No trouble.” Dan repeats, not even looking back as Jay laughs.

The doors close once they’re inside, and they’re off, towards the buildings of the kingdom, to go through the streets and to the arena. Jay whistles to Pillow, and the dragon takes flight, a few of the guards leading the carriages staring as Jay flies with Pillow into the air, his crown almost falling off.

“When’s the last time you went to one of the games, Jo?” Hosuh asks, Jo humming from across him. 

“About two years or so, but I hear plenty about the stories that come out of it. Last year, wasp nests were thrown into the fighting grounds as the players battled it out.” 

“Wasp nests?” Stephen repeated, eyes going wide. 

“Yup. I heard that one player had picked one of them up and threw it at her opponent as a weapon. That was pretty effective, I think she had actually made it to the last round that year.” Jo puts a hand to his chin, thinking. 

“And the winners, they get a reward, right?” Hosuh asked, not sure as to why anyone would willingly put themselves into a fight like that.

“There’s plenty of gold as a prize, although the fame and glory is also something big too. To have a whole arena watch you survive and win, it lets the winners have a nice life for the rest of their days.” 

Dan raises his eyebrows at the thought of the end of the games, being the sole winner after what sounds like a grueling couple of hours of fighting and surviving. 

The victory must be amazing, and the thought only makes Dan a bit wary. It would make sense if someone wanted to ruin the games to get a victory like that, in such an event, with so many people watching.

The thought of that man with a mask in his dreams runs through his head. Part of Dan wants to tell himself it’s nothing, but he knows that there’s been something going on. With him, as a whole.

Visions.

He’s been having fucking. Future. Visions.

Dan was sure that he wasn’t even capable of magic! Hosuh and Stephen were the ones who were good at that, Dan couldn’t cast any of Stephen’s spells, (He knows, they’ve tried, out of curiosity and boredom) and the only way Dan could heal a wound is with bandages.

The rational part of his head told him to stay far, far away from whatever vision he got, especially if it showed the others possibly in danger in an unfamiliar arena.

But then came the sudden sense of  _ needing _ to be there, as if Dan somehow messed with destiny’s plans, tried straying from the pull of events, things would go sideways so badly. 

He did not sign up to be an Oracle, goddammit. He did not wish for the feeling of destiny weighing on his shoulders and vague dreams that make him think for hours. 

With all the books Dan has read (which weren’t helpful, future visions apparently  _ aren’t _ a common thing) and Hosuh and Stephen starting to notice something is up, Dan just tells himself he’ll come clean about the visions and his worries later.

Really, he will.

Maybe.

Stephen would probably know something. He’s knowledgeable in magic like that. And Hosuh would try to be helpful too, knowing him.

Dan still hesitates anyway, and tells himself one day more. He can deal with it one day more, then he’ll tell everyone else about how lately he falls asleep and wakes up with a so-so prediction on certain events of the days.

Movement from outside the window catches Dan’s eye, and he sits up, leaning towards it to look out into the road, where they’re traveling right through, crowds of people to the side.

They all stare with looks of curiosity, smiles and pointing fingers, some waving and others throwing what looks to be flowers. 

“Hey, Stephen, Hos, look.” Dan says, bringing them out of their conversation with Jo over the games. 

Stephen leans forwards next to Dan, looking out with him. Hosuh puts his attention to the other window, immediately slamming backwards into his seat at seeing all the people staring and waving. 

“Oh, that’s a lot of people.” Hosuh whispers, putting his hands over his eyes, Dan laughing softly.

“I don’t go out of the castle that much.” Jo informs them, Stephen giving a small wave to a little kid who’s looking at them with wide eyes. “And also, I don’t think I’ve told you guys about how you’ve been a popular topic around the kingdom for a while?”

“What do you mean by that?” Stephen questions, glancing away from the street. 

“There’s new, foreign guests living in my castle, with multiple having magical abilities, one being responsible for a huge tower of ice at the front gates, and one owning a whole  _ dragon _ .” Jo says, Stephen nodding in realization. “You would think people would talk.”

Dan looks out the window, up into the sky, catching a glance of Jay flying above, Pillow high in the air. Someone outside notices Dan looking up and spots Jay as well, yelling in surprise. Soon, the whole street is yelling and exclaiming in wonder, pointing up at the dragon flying in the sky. Dan wonders if Jay even notices. 

“Is...Is ann throwing coins out of the window?” Hosuh asks, looking at the carriage in front of them, Dan looking and seeing that indeed, there are coins flying out, Dan seeing glimpses of Ann’s hands as she throws the money out.

“Aw, that’s kind of her.” Dan notes, looking at Jo. “Usually she’s more of a robbing person than a giving away sort of person.”

“How...nice?” Jo says, not sure how to even really respond to that. 

Meanwhile, in the other carriage, the other three were throwing coins that they had found in the compartments. Ann had searched the whole thing from top to bottom, looking through every crevice and box. 

In the end, she had gathered a good amount of stray coins, piling them next to her on her seat, sitting criss-cross as she grabbed a few at a time, chucking them outside into the street.

“I think this is actually killing meeee.” Ann winced, throwing a handful out again. “I could’ve used theeese.”

“I’m sure other people need the money too.” Elias remarked, giving a handful of coins to Gavin, who threw them outside with glee, hearing the clinking of the gold against the ground.

“You’re helping people! That’s pretty cool, isn’t it?” Gavin grinned, taking more coins from Elias. 

Ann chucked a coin out the window with a defeated face. “I could have used that for a drink.” She throws another. “That for a snack.”

“We’re almost out of coins.” Gavin frowned, looking at the dwindling pile of gold.

Ann looked at the coins beside her and let out a heavy, dramatic sigh, reaching for her satchel. 

“It’s alright, Ann, you don’t have to spend whatever money you have-” Gavin said, expecting for Ann to have a few handfuls of coins in that bag.

She did. And then some. She tipped her bag over and poured a steady stream of coins for a solid five seconds, Elias and Gavin staring, speechless.

“....For how long have you had all of that?” Elias asks, Ann shrugging with a smile. 

“Shush and help me throw these onto the street!” She said, throwing her satchel to the carriage floor with a new determination. 

Gavin laughed, flicking a coin into Elias’ head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Creating the Everdawn Games, like the rules and how it works is honestly really fun, because I have to plan out how Yanna will actually play in it, and how our main group will just be watching from the sidelines as the audience. It's a series of battles that no sane person would really wanna do, but in this universe, possibilities are endless. It's neat.
> 
> Looking forward to the next chap! Which is probably going to be pretty long, with how much I already have written, haha.
> 
> Thanks for reading! and I really appreciate and adore any comments! I swear I read them, but I've been so slow on replying :,)
> 
> till the next chap


	38. Yanna has the best luck

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HI
> 
> I'M KINDA LATE, I KNOW
> 
> ENJOY

True to the moderator lady’s words, food was in fact provided to the contestants of the games about half an hour later. Biscuits and fruits were served on big platters, the people serving them all wishing them luck.

Yanna gave an awkward smile as she was handed an apple, someone saying something along the lines of “good luck with the games!- oh geez you’re small-” 

She had quickly ran away before they could note anything else about her appearance.

Now, as much as Yanna wanted to stuff the food into her mouth and immediately run to the training grounds to get some practice in, she has  _ some _ self restraint, so instead, she decides to find a nice spot to sit while eating her food.

Which is on top of the weapons wall. 

She nearly falls and breaks an ankle trying to climb up, but after using a huge battle axe as a step, she’s able to push herself to the top, carefully sitting and peering down at all the strangers milling around, her legs kicking absent-mindedly in front of some knives. 

Biting into the little biscuit in her hand, she squints down at the people she’s supposedly supposed to face later on today. Of course, maybe she’ll be lucky, the people are chosen in rounds, after all, it could be hours before she gets dragged out into the arena.

Which will be full of what’s practically the whole kingdom. And the prince with his company.

Ignoring the sinking feeling of ‘oh no people are going to PERCEIVE me’ in her chest, Yanna instead thinks about who exactly the prince is going to be bringing. Her mind faintly goes back to those people who she had met a while back, when she broke into the royal training grounds. 

Her eyes trail to the sword resting beside her, it’s jewels all gone and pawned off, but the gold of the hilt still shining rather nicely, even with all the times Yanna has dropped it into the dirt. 

Yanna makes a face as she takes another bite out of her apple, chewing with thought. Were the people she met….were they royalty? She faintly remembers one being a king. She hadn’t exactly cared at the time, and really, she still doesn’t, but now she’s intrigued. 

Actually, hadn’t the lady who gave her the sword in the first place pull the weapon out of a  _ satchel _ ? That, Yanna remembers much more vividly, because you don’t exactly just forget the breaking of normal laws of physics like that. 

On the topic of weapons in general, Yanna goes to pull the small knife out of her boot, the one gifted from Ivu. Putting her apple to the side, she turns the small blade over in her hands, humming. The grey crystal in the middle is pretty, a bit dull in the dimness of the room, but still nice. It’s certainly not something Yanna expected from Ivu, who, to her knowledge, has lived life as mostly a painter.

An adventurer, though. That’s something Yanna wants to hear about. Yanna’s never even been outside of the kingdom before, she’s never had a reason to leave, to be fair. But the idea of Ivu traveling the lands, possibly causing trouble, getting into life-threatening situations, it pumps her up for when the games will be over, Yanna being able to run back home and get at least a story out of today. 

Putting the knife back, Yanna reaches for her biscuit, hearing some yelling raise up by the corner of the room. She only catches a few words, but then there’s someone punching another person across the face, and they’re both going down, the people around them yelling and trying to pull them apart.

Yanna’s fairly sure fighting before the games is probably not allowed. Then again, it’s not her fighting, so she leans back, chewing on her food and watching two people punch the absolute shit out of each other, guards rushing to stop the premature fight, probably caused by a stupid argument. 

\---

Jay gets to the gates of the arena a bit earlier than everyone else, seeing as Pillow is faster than any carriage that exists. He can see them approaching further down the street, though, so he maneuvers Pillow to land by the gates, right by the tall stone walls encasing the fighting area inside. 

As he lands, he realizes he should’ve waited last minute instead, because there are still civilians walking around on their merry way, and they all stop and gawk at a dragon dropping out of the sky, with someone riding on his back.

Someone screams, and Jay isn’t sure if that’s from fear, shock, or excitement, but either way, there’s a crowd forming, and Pillow’s getting antsy, taking a few steps back as the townspeople chirp around them, pointing fingers and exclaiming words of surprise.

“Might wanna get used to this sort of reaction.” Jay says quietly, leaning down and patting Pillow at the side of his snout. Pillow gives a huff in response, turning his head this way and that way, seeming both curious and overwhelmed by the sudden attention from so many people.

Jay looks around too, and his eye catches on someone with a hood over their head, face partially hidden. He can see eyes, though, vivid, glaring eyes, looking at Jay as if he’s the reason for all the problems in the world.

The chat from the crowd mutes out a bit as Jay presses his lips together, wary of the look he’s getting from mr. mysterious over here. He’s on top of Pillow, so it’s not as if he can be attacked anytime soon, unless someone is willing to get burned, but he’s still uneasy, not breaking eye contact with the person until they step back, easily getting lost into the crowd of overexcited people.

Just like that, it’s as if it never happened, Jay not being able to find the same face again, even as he frantically scans the crowd, breathing a bit faster as he’s half convinced that might’ve just been his imagination.

Pillow seems to notice Jay’s mood, flapping his wings a bit and turning his head at a weird angle to try and look at him. Jay hums, patting a hand onto his scales.

“I’m fine, Pillow.” He says, and thankfully, the others finally arrive, guards pushing the crowd away and Pillow relaxing, giving a big yawn. 

Jay slides off of Pillow, his boots hitting the floor just as the carriage door is opened, Jo coming out first. 

The people around them seem to yell louder, now genuinely excited rather than just shocked from a rare dragon. Even though they’re now forced farther away, they still wave and cheer, Jo smiling like he’s been through this a million times before, giving a friendly wave to his people.

Dan follows right behind, turning around and helping Stephen and Hosuh climb out before he’s even fully out of the vehicle. Hosuh takes one look at the crowd and Jay laughs at the way he zips back into the carriage, Stephen yelling and grabbing him by the arm.

“Come say  _ hi _ , Hosuh, come on-” Stephen grins, egging Hosuh on with a teasing tilt in his voice.

“That’s a  _ lot _ of people-! Stop pulling me, Stephen!” 

Ann hops out from her carriage like it’s nothing, giving a wave and bow, all dramatic and smiles. Gavin is practically the same, the two of them locking elbows and waving to the people, laughing. The people seem to react appropriately, though. Elias is more quiet, to the side, watching with an amused face as he walks over to Jo, away from the two more attention seeking people of the group.

“Jay!” Dan calls, running up to him. “Hey! Have any trouble getting here? I probably should have given you a head up, having a whole dragon and all. Although, maybe you’re already used to the treatment?” He shrugs, giving an unsure smile, glancing back to where Hosuh’s is looking overwhelmed, and Stephen’s basking in the glory of cheers. 

“Used to it?” Jay asks, confused.

“Being a king and all.” Dan waves his hands to the crown on top of Jay’s head, Jay glancing to it for a moment.

“Oh, I wasn’t usually allowed out of the castle, or the royal grounds, really. When I did go out, I snuck out.” 

“...Somehow I’m not surprised. A bit disappointed though, in your advisor, not you.” Dan says, pulling Jay along by the sleeve to where Jo’s is waving them over, walking to the gates of the arena. 

“That’s reassuring.” Jay responds, looking to the door they’re about to walk through. It’s not nearly big enough for Pillow, who’s following right at Jay’s tail, eyes curious. He turns to the dragon, tapping him on the snout. “Fly over the wall and meet us inside.” 

Pillow blinks and waits for a moment, and for a second, Jay thinks Pillow might’ve not understood that, but then the dragon is running away from Jay, jumping into the air and flapping his wings, ignoring the screams of terror that results from Pillow running right towards the crowd to get speed. 

He flies into the air, going right over the walls with his shadow passing the group, all of them looking up to see Pillow easily scale it. 

“...That’s going to surprise the people setting up the games right now.” Jo murmurs, leading the way with everyone following. 

The doors are quickly opened with a creak, plenty of guards around them to keep the people out as they walk inside, Jo meeting up with the same moderator lady from before. She gives a small bow, twice, to her and to Jay. 

“Thank you so much for coming, your highness, and thank you for bringing guests of your own, as well! We hope they’ll enjoy the games.” She smiles, clasping her hands together with a hint of nervousness in her features.

“Oh, don’t thank me yet.” Jo laughs, glancing back specifically to where Ann and Stephen are whispering into each other’s ears like fifth graders, the two of them acting absolutely suspicious the second Jo turns to them. “I have a feeling this is going to be a long day. But I am looking forward for this year’s games.” 

“As am I! We have much planned, believe me- if you’ll just follow, I’ll take you to your seating-” She waves a hand, walking down a torch lit hall, the others following. 

“So what exactly are we to be expecting to watch? Is it just dueling until the last fighter, or?” Elias asks, eyes trailing across the stone bricks they pass.

“Oh, no! Well, no and yes, the whole gist of the games is to duel, but it’s also to  _ survive _ .” The lady says lowly, her face going into a scary grin, Ann hiding behind Dan as Stephen snickers. “The contestants are put into different situations with specific rules, each round different. Sometimes it’s to the last person standing, other times it’s to the last five people standing, which results in some interesting teaming among the players.” The lady continues, voice chipper and proud.

“There’s a huge cash prize for the winner, isn’t there?” Stephen asks, Ann perking up and looking intrigued. Dan levels both her and Stephen with a glare, the two of them raising their hands innocently. 

“Yes, there is, but most people join for the fun of the games, for the glory. At the end of the day, it really is entertainment, but just with a twist of life threatening situations added in, that’s all.” The woman nods, Hosuh looking a bit worried. 

They approach a door, the woman pushing it open, sunlight pouring in from above the steps leading above. “If you’ll just go ahead, there’s the section specifically for all of you. Thrones are for the royals, of course, but you all get special seating, with the roof.”

Stephen sprints ahead, Gavin at his heels and Jay right behind, all of them running for different reasons. Stephen specifically to get Jay’s chair to annoy him, Gavin just wants to race, and Jay is seconds away from yanking Stephen down the stairs, knowing him far too well.

Dan expects a bunch of arguing to commence when he gets to the top with them, instead, Jay gets distracted, yelling to below, at the fighting grounds, where Pillow is terrorizing the people setting up for the first round, trying to place down bridges upon large wooden poles. Instead, they’re holding on for dear life, screaming as Pillow uses the pole as a scratching pole. 

“Pillow! What did we say about bothering random people!” Jay yells, cupping his hands around his mouth. Meanwhile, Stephen sits himself down right at one of the much more fancier seats there, a bright gold throne next to a matching, smaller gold throne. 

“Scoot!” Ann yells, pushing Stpehen to the side as she squishes in on the seat with him, her legs hanging over the armrest. 

“Get your own!” Stephen yells, trying to push Ann off, the wide smile on his face betraying his outraged tone as they hit hands at each other. 

Dan sits on the actual seats meant for them, simple and to the side, and Jo sits on his own smaller throne, giving an amused look to the two arguing on the chair. 

“I thought this was Jo’s kingdom?” Hosuh asks, sitting down next to Dan. 

“It is. What do you mean?” Dan says, turning his head to the healer.

“Well, Jay’s throne is bigger?”

“He  _ is _ a king.” Dan supplies, Hosuh making a skeptical face. Jay may technically outrank Jo, but they all know he does not act anywhere near it. 

There’s a woosh of air and a large shadow passing them, Dan looking up as he hears a large thump on the roof for shade over them.

Jay’s leaning out of the viewing box, head tilted up at Pillow. “You’re just going to rest there, little dragon?” He gets a puff of smoke towards his way as a response, and he laughs, coughing and turning around, to the two imposters sitting in his seat. 

“Out.” Jay deadpans, crossing his arms. 

“No.” Both Ann and Stephen say in unison, giving matching demon grins up at Jay.

“Guys.” Dan scolds, waving a hand to where Elias and Gavin have already sat down.

The two of them get up, Stephen giving a bit dramatic sigh. Jay seems satisfied, sitting up straight in his throne with a bored face. 

Hosuh hums. With the way Jay looks, he could’ve been one hell of a ruler. Then again, with the way he’s much more better at arson rather than people skills, maybe not.

Stephen and Ann stay standing for a moment, arms crossed and exchanging looks, speaking to each other telepathically with eyebrow raises and frowns. Then, they both nod, and lunge at Jay.

They’re all pushing at each other, yelling and laughing as they’re squished in the one seat, Jay trapped under the two criminals as they try pushing each other off.

“Get off- no! Dan!” Jay yells, Ann giggling as she throws an arm over Jay’s shoulder, Stephen swinging his legs over both Jay and Ann, sitting sideways. 

“Nah, you’re on your own.” Dan looks away, ignoring Jay’s shrieks. 

“You people don’t even  _ fit- _ get off, it’s one chair!” 

“Make it work!” Ann cheers, Jay squawking as Stephen pulls the crown off his head. 

“See? We fit perfectly fine.” Stephen grins, leaning back comfortably as he puts the crown on his own head. 

“No you do not.” Jay answers, Ann waving his protest away. Jay gives a sour face. Stephen laughs nonstop as Jo looks like he might’ve miscalculated how today might do. 

\---

Yanna is in the middle of training with her sword, going through basic warm ups, when a commotion picks up from inside, yelling and shouts. 

At first, she thinks it might be another fight, the two from earlier were kicked out for fighting before the games, so people fighting even with that threat must be interesting, and she runs over.

Instead of a fight between two rude opponents, she finds a crowd by the viewing area, in the room with the windows out to the fighting grounds. 

Pushing her way through, she elbows and maneuvers her way to the front, trying to spot what’s causing so much excitement. 

At first, she only sees the fighting area, where they seem to be setting up for the first round, giant wooden poles with bridges crisscrossing all through the air.

That has her attention, and has her mind wondering of what the first round will hold, but it doesn’t justify everyone’s reaction. 

Then she sees movement by the roof of the royal viewing area, and oh, the prince has arrived, along with company. That is the people from before, how fun! And while she’s a bit confused at seeing three of them fight over one seat, her attention is focused at the creature laying down comfortably over their heads, on the roof meant for shade.

A dragon. A full blown dragon, and not a tiny one, either, it looks like it could probably punt Yanna across the arena if it really wanted to. 

Her eyes are stuck on it, with the way that it’s actually taking a  _ nap _ over the prince’s head, and the prince seems to not even be concerned with it! Does that mean that- no.

One of the people the prince has brought actually owns a dragon? Seriously?!

Ivu had warned her, but even then, Yanna didn’t think she would see one with her own two eyes. 

Yanna laughs nervously, trying to tune out the sound of the rumbling crowd around her, breathing in deeply. Everyone is both pumped up from the appearance of the dragon and with the fact that the people are starting to pour in, going into the audience stands, almost all with their attention at the sleeping dragon.

The first round is going to come up soon. That thought hits Yanna like a bat, and she reassures herself, shoving down nerves. 

It’s the first round anyway, with the most amount of contestants, she’ll probably spend the next hour watching people fight instead of actually fighting-

“Yanna Draws!” A man yells, as he reads out names from the long scroll of paper in his hands. “Please join with the contestants for the first round!” 

Yanna frowns at the big wood door that will lead out to the fighting grounds. Great. She has fantastic luck. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!!! I was planning on updating on Friday, because that's my new update schedule, but man, the days passed by TOO quick, and I was looking at the calendar with half one chap on my doc going "HUH???"
> 
> Either way, hello! I'm back! I plan on updating regularly, although I can't quite promise anything because life really do be kicking me these days :(((
> 
> But I'm super proud of finishing this chap! and Maybe you could help me work on the next chap by leaving comments, mayhaps??? Comments go a long way for my motivation, just saying. 
> 
> anyway, here's some cool fact dumps
> 
> -Jay’s nickname for Pillow is “little dragon” he knows Pillow is nowhere near small anymore. He does not want to hear it.  
-Hosuh is a healer, BUT- (he’s used poisons a lot more often than he’s willing to admit)  
-Jo is very much loved by his people. He’s only ever had two attempts on his life before.  
-By much contrast, Jay has had a total of 14 attempts on his life. Not his fault tho, he’s considered distant from his people since he never left the castle much. (And also maybe the fact he just up and LEFT from being a king tells a lot-)
> 
> TILL NEXT CHAP!!!


	39. Not a chapter

Going on a break.

I'm not discontinuing my stories, but I've found I'm updating them more because I feel like I need to rather than that I want to 

Ummm not sure when I'll be back? I'm not doing too good and as much as I wish I could take a week off and then be back without a problem, can't quite do that. I just need time, like a lot of it, maybe, I dunno

Thanks for all the comments and kudos, and everything. I'm really glad I still have readers who enjoy my stories, and I'll probably still have at least a few when I come back, whenever that'll be.

I mean, for all I know I'll be updating again randomly in like three days, or three weeks

No clue. My creativity is off the charts and my motivation is in the negatives, it's a frustrating combo 

Yeah, bye. Thanks for reading. See you later. Or soon. I dunno.

-Mars

**Author's Note:**

> Go ahead and leave a kudos or a comment! Or both! Or none! Your choice really. Comments are very, very much appreciated tho.


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